In 1971, we opened the doors to Northwest Indiana’s first community mental health center: Tri-City Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center. And, over the years—as the needs of our communities grew—we expanded our care continuum to include addictions, primary health care, social services and more. Fast forward fifty years, and we are now Indiana’s largest provider of community-based health care and social services.
It is through this collective effort that we will continue to grow—together—for the betterment of our communities. By integrating services offered at Regional Health Systems, Geminus Corporation and Lake Park Residential Care, we can provide care today to help real people have a better tomorrow.
For many of us, these past two fiscal years have felt like a lifetime. We embarked on several new journeys—largely shaped by the world around us. Fiscal year 2020 ushered in a change of corporate leadership and a global pandemic. And, fiscal year 2021 saw the benefits of those two major events take form.
Shortly after welcoming our new CEO, William “Bill” Trowbridge, to the position, the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)—commonly known as COVID-19—brought the world to a halt. Within a week, businesses—including ours—transitioned from in-person workstations to virtual care and virtual work. Thanks to our staff, we scaled quickly through uncertainty. We moved hundreds of employees to remote work, tens of thousands of clients to telehealth and hundreds of families to online learning all at the same time. This was no small feat but we did it, together.
Together, we turned a year of worldwide suffering into hope. We heeded our nation’s calling to recognize the structural inequities and systemic racism that continuously traumatizes the physical, mental and social well-being of Black individuals and communities—becoming the first health care and nonprofit in Northwest Indiana to commemorate Juneteenth. Our agility to take on large, community-based projects helped garner the award to manage the Lake County Emergency Rental Assistance program. And, we quickly met our region’s need to distribute COVID-19 vaccinations.
Additionally, our reach in early childhood services expanded across state. We also created a community garden where fruits and vegetables are harvested and given to community members in need. And, we launched our psychiatry residency program with the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Northwest Indiana Health Care Consortium.
We created our new network of care—Regional Care Group—to unite Regional Health Systems, Geminus Corporation and Lake Park Residential Care. We know how important it is to provide ease in your day-to-day life, which is why we have integrated Regional Health Clinic and Regional Mental Health Center in one spot under Regional Health Systems allowing Regional Health Systems to treat the whole person and build resilient communities.
Regional Care Group is here to provide care for you today, because we want a better tomorrow.
Each year family service programs at Geminus reach thousands of Hoosiers in Lake County, providing critical social service resources to support local children and families.
For families seeking to manage obstacles such as job loss, behavioral issues, domestic violence, addiction and other concerns, Community Partners provides assistance including job counseling, parenting classes and advice on how to make use of local community services that help keep families healthy, happy, and together. Last year, through its programs and events, Community Partners reached:
Families with children exhibiting emotional and behavioral problems, who are at risk of placement outside the home, are supported through a cross system of care with individualized care plans to help support the child and family. Children are referred by the Lake County Juvenile Justice Court System and the Indiana Department of Child Services.
To increase the involvement of fathers' roles in the lives of their children, we focus on teaching fathers how to be effective parents and how to engage with their children. With counseling on an educational, vocational and family planning level, participants also collaborate with a family advocate to assist with housing, transportation, employment assistance and visitation with children, and more.
As the only state-certified batterers intervention program in Lake County serving men and women, participants receive both one-on-one counseling and group counseling by a certified domestic violence therapist. We work to keep children and families safe in a healthy environment to begin the process for change.
To assist families dealing with truancy issues, we partner with Lake County school corporations to address challenges before they escalate to the county juvenile court system and the Indiana Department of Child Services.
This program improves outcomes for children placed in foster care. Clients are taught skills to become self-sufficient and receive help enrolling in college, finding a place to live, looking for a job and more.
This program partners with Regional Health Systems to provide eligible families with services and skills that reduce out-of-home placement of their children.
The program, funded by the U.S Treasury and the Lake County Redevelopment Commission, aims to decrease evictions and prevent homelessness for Lake County renters whose income was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To continue the change for a healthier tomorrow through mental health awareness and community engagement, we work tirelessly to prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use and stop suicide.
Our coalition members consist of both individuals and organizations that make up our three pillars, Prevention (Education), Support (Treatment & Intervention), and Accountability (Law Enforcement & Legislation). Active coalition members are eligible to apply for funding to combat drug and alcohol misuse or abuse.
To build safe and healthy communities that reduce substance misuse and promote mental health awareness, Prevention Services administers numerous state and federal grants. Each grant has specific goals, strategies and communities for implementation. Due to COVID-19, dollars dedicated to face-to-face services were redirected to paid advertising campaigns, thus increasing audience reach.
As providers of early childhood education, we know that all child care is early learning. The demand for access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education in Indiana is so much greater than the current availability. That's why Geminus's early learning services are so important. We not only help increase access to affordable, quality early childhood education, we also empower parents to become advocates and participants in their child's education.
Our community-based, Child Care Resource and Referral program provides professional support to families, programs, employers and community partners in Northern Indiana.
Geminus provides technical assistance and support services to family child care providers throughout Indiana. SPARK Learning Lab is a statewide partnership with Shine Early Learning, the Erickson Institute, Geminus and other partners. This effort supports early childhood programs in meeting Indiana's regulatory requirements and improving provider's professional development paths.
Specifically geared towards increasing a child's access to nutritious meals while in child care, Daily Bread reimburses child daycare homes and centers with funding from USDA Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Daily Bread ensures child care homes and centers meet CACFP standards for enrolled children and provides training in menu planning and preparation as well as sanitation and administration.
Head Start, our longest running early childhood education program, is Northwest Indiana's leader in early childhood education—making positive impacts on families, children, and staff through creative partnerships that inspire personal growth, foster empowerment and provide quality comprehensive services for all. We make it convenient for families to access quality early learning and social services. For more info view our 2019 Head Start Annual Report.