Zepf Center Timeline

1974
An agency primarily concerned with post-psychiatric hospitalization treatment of residents of the South catchment area of Lucas County begins operations. The agency is called the Elizabeth A. Zepf Community Mental Health Center after a Toledo resident who was very active in mental health service development. Operations are located at 2060 Glendale. The first Executive Director is Julius A. Gamble. There are 11 staff members.

1977
A satellite office is opened on Indiana and Hawley in the Fredrick Douglas Community Building to serve the mental health needs of the residents of the inner city area.

The agency applies for a Federal operations grant to enlarge to a comprehensive community mental health center with twelve mandated service programs aimed at addressing all potential mental health needs of everyone in the service area.

1978
H. Lynn Chenault is hired as second Executive Director following resignation of Julius A. Gamble. Federal operations grant is awarded.

1979
Agency staffing expands rapidly to about 75. Seven suites in the Beverly Hills Medical Building are leased to accommodate expanding services. Day treatment programming (Gateways) for aftercare clients begins. Agency is now providing aftercare, older adult, outpatient, children's emergency, medical, psychological, substance abuse, rape counseling, consultation, and education services.

1980
1980 begins with approximately 80 staff. Older adult day treatment (Friendship program) begins. Satellite office is opened at 1119 Broadway to serve mental health needs of the inner city community. Satellite office on Indiana and Hawley is relocated to 1441 Dorr Street.

1981
Central discharge and extramural care services (Housing Office) are initiated, housed at Toledo Mental Health Center (TMHC). Cornerstones, 4405 Dorr Street, our residential treatment service opens.

1982
Older Adult Services and Follow-up Care programs including case management, Gateways, and Medical Services are relocated to 30 S. Byrne Road office. The 2060 Glendale office is closed and relocated 1614 S. Byrne Road. Maumee Valley Counseling Center, at 124 E. Dudley, Maumee, is opened.

1983
Dorr Street and Broadway offices are consolidated with other offices. Hearth program for young children is opened at the former Broadway satellite location. Second Executive Director resigns and Virginia Ferree, Director of Planning and Operations, is hired by the Board of Trustees to be the next Executive Director.

1984
After an extensive long-range planning process, in the midst of declining Federal funds, the Zepf Center Board determines the agency's overriding commitment will be to people with a severe mental illness.

Joint planning with local mental health agencies, the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, the Lucas County Mental Health Board and the Ohio Department of Mental Health leads to the formation of MERIT Industries to address the unique vocational service needs of people with a mental illness. The program is opened under the auspices of Zepf Center to serve all of Lucas County.

1985
Zepf Center is awarded HUD 202 funds to construct two eight-person group homes and a twenty-unit apartment building: Maumee House, Ottawa House, and The Oaks.

Another grant is awarded by the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission to establish pre-vocational services.

Administrative offices are relocated from the Beverly Hills Shopping Center to 5555 Airport Highway.

1986
Ide Center and Zepf Center each establish a team of four Intensive Case Managers, founded in the philosophy of the "Strengths Model".

Toledo, through the Lucas County Mental Health Board, is selected as one of nine cities nationwide to receive a major five-year demonstration grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Expansion of case management and development of apartment housing opportunities are the major initiatives.

1987
The Intensive Case Management team expands to twelve case managers. This team, along with the Housing Office, relocates from space at the Toledo Mental Health Center to the Hamilton Building.

1988
Gateways, Medical, and the Friendship program for older adults relocate from the Byrning Hill Shopping Plaza to the Hamilton Building.

Ohio legislature passes the Mental Health Act of 1988 which will allow transfer of funds, over a six-year phase-in, from control of the State's mental institutions to the county mental health boards. Planning for housing and supporting long-term hospital residents in the community begins.

Zepf employees elect District 1199 SEIU, the Health Care & Social Services Union, AFL/CIO, as their exclusive bargaining agent.

MERIT Industries receives a grant from the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission to establish a Supported Employment program.

Maumee House, Ottawa House, and the Oaks are completed and accept their first residents.

1989
The agency undergoes a major re-structuring and re-organization. The "Hearth" program for young children and their families is closed, as is the Friendship program for older adults. Maumee Valley Counseling Center moves under the auspices of West Center, and the Housing Office moves to the auspices of Rescue Mental Health Services. Case Management is restructured to three teams of eight Ongoing and Intensive Case Managers.

Ide and Zepf are each given a "cap" of 100 beds per day at TMHC. Both Centers begin supporting in community residences for former TMHC residents of up to 40 years standing.

1990
MERIT Industries relocates to the former DeVilbiss Building on Phillips Avenue.

Focus on supporting TMHC residents in the community intensifies as TMHC bed cap is reduced to 80 per day.

1991
Supported Independent Living Program (SILP) opens, housed at Flory Gardens. Twenty apartments at the LMHA complex are made available for people leaving TMHC.

Ide and Zepf Centers arrange with St. Charles Hospital to offer the hospital's psychiatric unit as an alternative to TMHC for acute inpatient care. Rescue Mental Health Services serves as the admitting agent.

1992
Medical department begins providing outreach nursing and psychiatric consultation to people living in Zepf residences and Flory Gardens.

Supported Independent Living Program moves it's offices to Reynolds Road location.

TMHC cap is reduced to 32 per day.

Zepf leases a rooming house residence on St. Clair Street to house people with a mental illness.

1993
Zepf, in conjunction with Ide Center and Rescue Mental Health Services, is awarded a five-year Permanent Housing for the Homeless and Handicapped (PHHH) grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; our Dual Recovery Program for people with serious mental illness and chemical dependency is initiated.

In line with our efforts to further our development at community-based services, our Gateways Program, housed at the Hamilton Bldg., is converted to Pathways, a program offering a variety of social, educational, and recreational opportunities in Toledo and the surrounding area.

In collaboration with the Zepf Center and the Ide Center, the Lucas County Mental Health Board is one of twelve boards in the state to be awarded a contract with the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (ORSC) to provide vocational rehabilitation services dedicated to people with serious and persistent mental illness. Zepf is selected as the agency to administer the contract of Lucas County clients.

1994
Pursuant to the new vocational rehabilitation contract, EMPACT is established, headquartered on Secor Rd.

MERIT Industries discontinues it's provision of facility-based vocational rehabilitation services to concentrate entirely on building a successful business which employs a substantial number of people with disabilities. The former MERIT service staff re-group to provide vocational services at the work sites of community employers. This service group is renamed NetWORK.

1995
Northwest Psychiatric Hospital (NPH, formerly TMHC) census cap is reduced to 13.8 per day.

Community Support Services reorganize into three multi-disciplinary teams. The Supported Independent Living Program is discontinued as a separate unit, with staff members folding into the three newly-created teams. The Intake function is transferred to the Medical Division.

West Center merges with Cummings Zucker to form Harbor. East Center merges with Ide Center to form Unison.

The first of a series of training is initiated to assist the agency in implementing Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) philosophy and practice throughout the organization.

Service and administrative staff move to new agency headquarters at 6605 W. Central Ave. Full service capacity is retained at the Hamilton Bldg.

1996
The agency initiates 24-hour, 7-day per week service availability.

The fourth of the agency's HUD-financed housing projects, Stewart Apartments, opens for occupancy.

After sixteen years of operation, the agency's first group residence, Cornerstones, closes its' doors as a Zepf-sponsored service.

Options, Inc. merges into Connecting Point.

1997
The agency develops an in depth Strategic Plan that has critical success indicators for Lines of Business and strategic thrusts.

Our Vocational programs continue to expand services.

The agency is learning and preparing to deal with managed Care/fee for service.

1998
A new 3 year collective bargaining agreement is completed.

The agency went through an organizational restructuring.

Staff have pulled together to insure agency policy and procedures meet JCAHO requirements. The agency was accredited by JCAHO in November. This accreditation will allow the agency to apply to be on different panels such as Paramount. Therefore, we will have the ability to expand our services and gain more dollars through billing insurance agencies.

1999
NetWORK, a division of Zepf, receives major contracts with the Department of Human Services to provide vocational services for people referred by them as a part of the "Welfare to Work" initiative.

Long time executive Director of the Lucas County Mental Health Board, Tom Wernert, dies. Jacqueline Martin, formerly the Board's Associate Director, is appointed the new Executive Director.

Chuck Thayer, long time Executive Director of Harbor (formerly West Center) leaves to accept another position. Dale Shreve, formerly Associate Director, is appointed the new Executive Director.

2000
Zepf purchases the land of the recently demolished Autolite plant from the City of Toledo with the intent of building a new facility to replace the Hamilton location.

Community Support teams are reorganized to serve clients in a given cluster/s in order to become experts in the particular needs of those clients and community resources available to them.

2001
Due to multiple changes in funding mechanisms and reduction of resources, Zepf sells back the Autolite property to the City.

A new three year contract is negotiated with SEIU 1199.