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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.

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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.

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1978

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

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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 patients begins. Agency is now providing aftercare, older adult, outpatient, children's emergency, medical, psychological, substance abuse, rape counseling, consultation, and education services.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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1984

After an extensive long-range planning process, amid 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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1992

Medical department begins providing outreach nursing and psychiatric consultation to people living in Zepf residences and Flory Gardens.
Supported Independent Living Program moves its 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.

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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 patients.

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1994

Pursuant to the new vocational rehabilitation contract, EMPACT is established, headquartered on Secor Rd.
MERIT Industries discontinues its provision of facility-based vocational rehabilitation services to concentrate entirely on building a successful business that employs a substantial number of people with disabilities. The former MERIT service staff re-groups to provide vocational services at the work sites of community employers. This service group is renamed NetWORK.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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1998

A new 3-year collective bargaining agreement is completed.
The agency went through an organizational restructuring. Staff pulled together to ensure agency policy and procedures met 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.

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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. Longtime 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.

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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 patients in each cluster/s to become experts in the needs of those patients and community resources available to them.

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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.

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2002

Accreditation through JCAHO and CARF is renewed for three more years. Merit Industries is closed and sold.
The NetWORK division is awarded a Work Incentive Act (WIA) grant to provide vocational services for eighteen months. The JIF (Jobs Incentive Focus Project) Grant is renewed.

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2003

In February 2003 Kendall Alexander, CEO and Tom Wawrzyniak, Director of MIS were hired.
The agency received a large grant from the county. The grant is to manage the county One Stop. NetWORK’s RSC division moved to our Central Ave. location.

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2004

A new 3-year collective bargaining agreement is completed.
In June, NetWORK’s JFS and WIA division new home The Source on Monroe St. is opened.
Zepf CMHC celebrates its 30th Anniversary.
Frank Ayers is named Interim CEO

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2005

Accreditation through JCAHO and CARF is renewed for three more years.
Jennifer Moses was named Chief Operations Officer.

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2006

NetWORK expanded service delivery to patients by partnering with various education partners including University of Toledo, Owens Community College, Penta Career Center, Washington Local and Oregon Career Technology. NetWORK attained four grants totaling over 4 million dollars to provide intensive level job readiness and job placement services to TANF eligible patients. Zepf begins talks with Connecting Point regarding a possible collaboration.

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2007

A new three-year collective bargaining unit agreement was completed.
A collaboration between Connecting Point and Zepf was decided too not be feasible.
Jennifer Moses was named Chief Executive Officer. Jennifer had been hired in as the Director of Human Resources in 1997 and was promoted to Chief Operations Officer in 2005.

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2008

Zepf held its first annual Tennis Fundraiser and Golf Outing, both of which are successful.

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2009

Zepf adds a Child & Adolescent Services division.

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2010

A new three-year collective bargaining agreement was completed.

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2011

Zepf was awarded with the SAMSHA Grant.

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2012

Received our certification from Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Services
In October of 2012, Zepf Center began the transition into Health Home. While switching over to Health
Home, Zepf Center continued to rapidly expand, as they acquired new patients.
As Zepf grew we obtained more properties, in December 2012 Zepf Center bought “The Church.” The renovation for the Hawley Building began.

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2013

The building that was formally known as “The Church” received a new name “Zepf Wellness Center”.
Child & Adolescent services were moved from the Nebraska location to the Woodruff location. Health Home, Medical and Office Based Therapy is located at this location. A new three-year collective bargaining agreement was completed.
ZC successfully added BH services to its existing Vocational/Employment Services CARF accreditation.

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2014

Zepf Center merged with Compass in July 2014. Compass services brought to Zepf Center include alcohol or drug services for both adults and youth. The Ashland Ave. location was purchased, and renovations started in 2014. Adult and Youth AoD services are located at Ashland.
Zepf Center is awarded a grant from OHIOMHAS for our Gambling Program. Per Capita, Zepf Center has one
of the largest gambling programs in the state. Zepf has 2 individual employees in the top 20 professionals to receive the GAMB credential from Ohio Professional Chemical Dependency Board. Zepf CMHC celebrates its 40th Anniversary. ZC received a 3-year CARF accreditation, including its first accreditation with SUD (back then AOD) and OTP services.

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2015

Zepf Center received the Recovery Housing grant from the State of Ohio to renovate the Compass
Collingwood Building into Sober Living Housing. This is the largest Sober Living Housing facility in the state serving this population.
Zepf Center begins a partnership with Genoa a QoL (Quality of Life) Healthcare for pharmacy services located at our Nebraska location. Effective May 2015, all new Zepf Center patients in Nebraska needing prescriptions are automatically sent to Genoa pharmacy. Pharmacy services are also available to Zepf Center Staff.
In October 2015, NetWORK attained the Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services. HPOG is focused on empowering 1,100 low-income individuals to obtain education and training needed for the healthcare field. The program budget is $3,000,000 per year providing an array of wrap around services and tuition assistance. Participants receive case management, coaching, community support, vocational counseling, tutoring, and job placement assistance.

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2016

Zepf Center opened Safety Net in May 2016 with the help of various funders in the community. Safety Net is a Runaway and Homeless Youth Emergency Shelter for youth ages 12-17, who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness or family conflict, often resulting in youth running away or couch surfing. It is open 24/7 and can house up to 12 youth.
Zepf Center opens a 9 bed Recovery House in Wood County- Cygnet, OH in July of 2016. An open house, held on in June, invited the community and those interested in learning more about Recovery Housing. The event included a ribbon cutting done by Wood County ADAMHS board members.
A new three-year collective bargaining agreement was completed.
Zepf holds its 1st ever Don’t Skirt the Issue… Help! Fundraiser

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2017

Zepf holds its 10th annual “Serve Up an Ace” Tennis Fundraiser.Throughout the end of 2016, into the beginning of 2017, SASI Clinic staff and patients move from 12th street to Zepf’s Ashland Ave location.
Deb Flores was named Interim Chief Executive Officer.
Zepf received CARF’s 3-year accreditation, the highest accreditation recognized
Zepf holds its 2nd annual Don’t Skirt the Issue … Help! Fundraiser

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2018

Zepf holds its 11th annual “Serve Up an Ace” Tennis Fundraiser
Zepf Center Board of Directors named Deb Flores Chief Executive Officer
Zepf’s Bowling Green/Wood County office moved to 219 S. Church Street in Bowling Green, the 2nd floor of the Huntington Building.
A new one-year collective bargaining agreement was completed for our compass union.
Zepf holds its 11th annual Golf Fundraiser.
Jennifer Jancsin is named Zepf’s new Chief Clinical Officer.
Zepf holds its first ever ZepfCon, an inaugural staff development conference
Zepf holds its 3rd Don’t Skirt the Issue … Help! Fundraiser, benefiting our women’s recovery house

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2019

Zepf Center begins a journey toward Sanctuary, a trauma-informed care model.
Zepf opens their women’s transitional house, Hope House.
SEIU and Zepf merged two units under one collective bargaining agreement, uniting the mental health and SUD arms together. A three-year collective bargaining agreement was completed in July. Zepf holds its 12th annual Golf Fundraiser.
Zepf holds its 4th Don’t Skirt the Issue… Help! Fundraiser, benefiting Safety Net.
Opiate Treatment Program begins walk-in admission for more open access to services.
The SUD Department reconfigured the detox wings to add 3.2 and 3.5 ASAM LOC Services in 2020 in response to changing needs of the community.

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2020

Zepf was awarded a 3-year CARF accreditation for its BH, OTP, and Vocational/Employment services. The accreditation was expanded to include the following additional programs: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Day Treatment Mental Health, Intensive Family-Based Services (IHBT/MST), Office-Based Opioid Treatment, Partial Hospitalization, and Prevention. Zepf received a grant and partnered with Promedica Flower Hospital, Mercy Health St. Charles, Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital, Bethany House, the YWCA of Northwest Ohio, Ohio Means Jobs Lucas County, and the Lucas County Family and Children Frist Council to create a cross-system approach to addressing suicide risk and the impact of suicide due to COVID-19. Zepf implemented mental health adult day treatment services. In response to the COVID pandemic, Zepf expanded its telehealth services and implemented numerous enhanced precautions in a fast and furious manner to meet both the physical and emotional wellbeing of the patients.

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2021

We continued our focus during FY 21 on patient engagement and increasing efficiencies with business functions, refining our use of a new electronic health record system (SmartCare), and adapted to changes in service delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically telehealth services. We will continue with these efforts. In addition, we are excited with the several opportunities for growth and change for the agency for FY 22 including the addition of providing crisis services for Lucas County through our Crisis CARE Unit, award of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) services, Federal Fatherhood program and the Building Evidence on Employment Strategies (BEES) Grant. To make more room for service delivery in our existing facilities, the 12th Street building was renovated to accommodate administrative staff. Although Zepf Center will continue to have vocational services, we are no longer the One Stop Operator as of July 1, 2021.