For more than 50 years, our team has worked to expand services beyond the continuum of behavioral health care and into addressing the social determinants of health— the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. The goal: Treat the whole person. This revolutionary concept, to treat the wholeperson instead of a symptom or issue at a time, has remained the driving force behind each client's progress and well-being. For Regional Health Systems, it means each individual served cannot only recover, but could go on to survive and thrive in life.
Whole person care is not just a promise. It is our commitment. And, today's health care consumers expect health care companies to not only deliver on their promises, but to also provide consistent, yet personalized experiences along the client journey. To deliver on these expectations, we invested in developing and implementing a cohesive view of our clients across all devices, platforms and touchpoints.
To enable and enhance the client experience, we launched the call center and the Regional Health Systems web landing page. Clients can call 219-769-4005 to schedule an appointment with Regional Health Clinic, get information about Regional Mental Health Center, request medical records and more. At rhsystems.org, clients can learn about the Regional Health Systems network and the relationship of our services.
Information Systems, a Geminus department, charted a path to transition Regional Mental Health Center onto the same electronic health record (EHR) used by Regional Health Clinic: NextGen. This consolidation helped reduce EHR redundancy, and allowed behavioral health providers, medical providers, medical records and patient financial services to access a single EHR for one client, improving both staff productivity and client experience. Next steps include integrating Geminus Family Services onto the platform.
Regional Mental Health Center also received full accreditation in Behavioral Healthcare and Ambulatory Care from The Joint Commission. Not only does this mark the first time our dental services became Joint Commission approved, this accreditation decision garnered Regional Health Clinic's designation as a "Primary Care Medical Home" (PCMH). PCMH sites are optimized for whole person health care, and connect patients to all of their health care needs via on-site services or established referral networks. A person seeking Regional Health Clinic services can access primary care, dental, mental health, and substance abuse services all on-site.
In September 2018, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) chose Regional Mental Health Center as one of 50 agencies nationwide to receive a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Expansion Grant, totaling nearly $4 million in funding for two years. Under this grant award, Regional is expanding its integrated care services, offering more addiction treatment services, and improving our standing as a CCBHC. The CCBHC model fully embraces whole person care and encourages mental health centers to think of a client's total needs, including primary health care and social supports.
Geminus Head Start opened a new addition at its St. Mark Early Learning Academy in Gary in April. The 8,750 square feet addition nearly doubles the number of families and children in Gary to be served. Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, officials from the U.S. Health & Human Services Office of Head Start, and community members were present to cut the ribbon. Geminus Head Start was also awarded duration grant funds allowing Head Start to increase hours for some classes as well as expand locations.
Our early childhood education, social services and prevention programs at Geminus continue to increase partnerships, creating opportunities for growth. Several programs competed to continue funding which increased coverage area.
Fiscal year 2019 also marked the beginning of the end of an era for our network. Robert "Bob" Krumwied, president and chief executive officer, announced his retirement effective January 2020. For nearly 30 years, Krumwied steered Regional's transformative journey, merging Lake County's two community mental health centers under Regional Mental Health Center; uniting Regional Mental Health Center, Geminus Corporation, Lake Park Residential Center and more under Regional Health Systems; and, becoming the first in Indiana to open a federally qualified health center, Regional Health Clinic, within a community mental health center.
As our network embarks on its next journey under the leadership of William Trowbridge, we're reminded that all of our hard work and accomplishments are thanks to staff. Together, we build resilient communities.