About Us
Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center is a community mental health center dedicated to providing comprehensive behavioral health services to citizens in Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston counties.
Northwest was founded under Alabama’s 310 act, which allowed for local communities to construct and operate mental health facilities and programs. Since its founding in 1969, the Center has expanded to over 40 locations, each focused on supporting individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Whether it’s by outpatient office or in-home, Northwest is dedicated to providing accessible, person-centered care to ensure the best possible outcome for each client.
The foundation of Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center was set in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy signed the Federal Community Mental Health Center Act. This legislation allocated grants to each state to establish and fund community mental health centers as alternatives to institutionalization. However, the Center would not find its framework until 1967 when the Alabama State Legislature passed Act 310, formally establishing community mental health centers across the state of Alabama.
Northwest is contracted with the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH), which reviews and certifies the center's programs and operations. This partnership with ADMH and other governmental entities in Alabama enables Northwest to provide a broad range of ADMH-certified services and maintain a well-developed continuum of care.
The Board of Directors of the Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center, in response to needs presented by consumers, families, advisory boards, other agencies and governmental institutions, have committed the Center, its staff and resources, to the mission of providing a comprehensive, effective continuum of behavioral health care. This continuum of care would address the needs of individuals, groups, and families and actively seek to improve their lives. Our commitment to this mission is spelled out as follows:
- To provide accessible, cost effective, high quality and goal-oriented outcome based oriented behavioral health services to the people of Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston Counties.
- To provide accessible, appropriate and person-centered services to persons and/or families with identified behavioral health needs in the least restrictive settings and in locations of their choice and language of their preference.
- To prioritize services to those who suffer from severe mental illnesses, children who experience severe emotional disturbances, individuals who suffer from intellectual disabilities, individuals who seek recovery and are recovering from addictions and abuse of alcohol/drugs. These health services would help consumers improve their lives and the general population as resources allow.
- To base services on individual assessed needs, consumer choices and in the least restrictive environments possible.
- To guarantee quality through utilization of a program of continuous improvement.
- To assist all staff in functioning as professionally capable and responsive care givers to ensure effective response to consumer needs for as long as requested and the need is present.
- To work and grow in a caring partnership with the community and to be recognized as the leader in providing the highest quality behavioral health services available.
- To conduct all our activities in the highest ethical and professional manner; by attracting and retaining honest, qualified, courteous, dependable, and productive employees; by offering opportunities for personal and professional growth; and by creating safe, clean, therapeutic, and positive environments.
To be the service provider of choice in the delivery of valued community integrated health services that meet the needs of our consumers in Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Walker, and Winston Counties with behavioral health care needs.
We value and believe in:
- Being compassionate, understanding, and responsive to the opinions and needs of consumers.
- Exceeding the expectations of our consumers, families, and communities.
- Being creative and innovative in providing state of the art services.
- Providing an environment in which all employees can excel and achieve personal growth.
- Promote teamwork and cooperative working relationships.
- Managing resources to ensure financial security, integrity, and cost effectiveness.
- Empowerment of people by recognizing their worth, dignity, strengths, and ability to make informed choices and decisions about services.
- Delivering services at the earliest possible time to prevent or reduce traumatic interventions in the person’s future.
- Promoting the participation of all people in the life of their communities and be fully integrated as possible.
- Promoting the traditions of community services.
- Enhancing partnerships with other community behavioral health centers, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, and local partnerships with complementary goals.
- Develop model integrated care services to enhance the overall health and quality of life of the communities we serve.
- To promote wellness and focus on an integrated system of care that enhances the overall health of the people we serve.
- Be a responsible community partner to the communities in which we provide services.
Members
Administration
Northwest’s administration team is led by a core of experienced, competent professionals who have many years of experience in leadership and in providing mental health, intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse services. The Center is blessed with leadership that is responsive to need, innovation in providing services, and committed to quality in both administration and service provision.