Community Corner

Turning Point Turns Heads With Recent Expansion

Turning Point Behavioral Health Care in Skokie was recently awarded a $1.2 million grant for land and service expansion. On Friday, the group hosted a packed house which included several local politicians and community leaders.

Turning Point hosted a packed house to celebrate their recent expansion on Friday afternoon. More than a hundred residents, politicians and local officials were present to applaud the organizations efforts and recent funding.

Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center, at 8324 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie, provides mental health services, especially to those with low income or people who are uninsured. The group served more than 1,500 clients in 2011, from Wilmette, Evanston, Chicago, Des Plaines, Glenview, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, and Park Ridge, as well as Skokie. Of those, 85 percent had incomes at or below federal poverty guidelines.

CEO Ann Fisher Raney hosted the luncheon for more than 100 community members to celebrate the awarding of a $1.2 million grant from the North Suburban Healthcare Foundation.

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"You have some very hard working people here," said Illinois Senator Ira Silverstein (D-8th). "I've never seen so many people committed to get this done.

State representative Daniel Biss echoed Silverstein's words.

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"I know the establishment will help serve our constituents," Biss said regarding Turning Point's expansion. "The entire Turning Point family are expert teachers in mental health.

"Though we've made tremendous progress in the mental health field, we still have a lot to do," Biss added. "Today was a celebration of doing more with less. It's a real inspiration to watch this development."

The event was held in the building adjacent to Turning Point's current space at 8324 Skokie Blvd. With the new grant, Turning Point can now double its office space to about 40,000 square feet without incurring any new debt, something vital for an organization that helps so many low income clients.

"Our staff is dedicated to providing compassionate, respectful and cost-effective solutions to our clients and community we serve," Raney said. "We are grateful for this grant which allows us to pursue our big dream of building a learning and service community of like-mined providers.

Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen was equally excited about the expansion.

"We are proud to have this recognized leader in the behavioral health care field headquartered in Skokie," Van Dusen said. "I expect their pioneering efforts in the area of integrative health care to bring greater public awareness of the importance of comprehensive health services."

So what exactly does Turning Point do for the community?

Established in 1969, Turning Point provides mental health services for all ages, including individual, family and group therapy, as well as psychiatric evaluation, medication monitoring, case management and 24/7 crisis response.

In the Spring of 2012, the DePaul University School of Nursing chose Turning Point as a site for qualitative study of alternative environments to emergency room care.


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