ReDiscover's History
A LEGACY OF HELP, HOPE AND HEALING
A Proven Track Record
Impacting Our Community Every Day
ReDiscover's legacy of providing help, hope, and healing to the people of Jackson County, Missouri began in October 1968 when Shirley Fearon and a small group of volunteers formed the Southeastern Jackson County Mental Health Association. In response to the lack of services for individuals with mental disorders, this group created a counseling center for those with emotional/behavioral problems, family difficulties, and for children experiencing trouble in school.
The center was incorporated as Southeastern Jackson County Mental Health Center in July of 1969 and received its first grant from the Missouri Department of Mental Health for $500.
Five years later, in September of 1973, the mental health center broke ground on a permanent building located at Tudor Road and Independence Avenue in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Soon, four regional outreach offices were opened in area churches to better serve residents of Raytown, Grandview, and South Kansas City.
To accurately represent the geographic area served and reduce the confusion created with Jackson County in the center's name, the Southeastern Jackson County Mental Health Center changed its name to Community Mental Health Center - South in August 1977. At this time, the center employed 45 staff at five locations.
In July 1984, Community Mental Health Center - South became a subsidiary of Research Health Services to provide a mental health component to the services offered by Research. Two years later the center changed its name to Research Mental Health Services.
Throughout the next decade, Research Mental Health Services expanded its offerings to provide drug and alcohol counseling, therapy and drug testing for probation and pretrial individuals, adult residential substance use disorder programs, in-home services for children and families, and created a community psychiatric rehabilitation center for adults with mental illness.
After the sale of Health Midwest to the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in 2003, Research Mental Health Services became independent and changed its name to ReDiscover. ReDiscover has grown to become a major mental health and substance use disorder service provider with locations throughout Jackson County serving more than 1,000 people daily. We provide resources and assistance in collaboration with other local organizations that create safer communities through prevention, education, and community support. We are motivated by the belief of our founders that people can remain or re-engage as stable, productive members of the community if they are provided innovative, comprehensive, and compassionate care. To that end, ReDiscover treats people with leading-edge, evidence-based practices and works to optimize access to behavioral health care so that people can live happier and healthier lives.