Bethany for Children & Families of the greater Quad Cities area and Bridgeview Community Health Center of Clinton have merged to better deliver mission-driven, high-quality and compassionate care to those in need.
The pair of social service and mental health care organizations announced the change in a joint news release. They said the merger grew out of multiple meetings and months of sharing information and insights on how best to serve their communities.
The merger establishes a management agreement between Bethany and Bridgeview. The unification of staff members also is good for both Bethany and Bridgeview, the release said. It creates an economy of scale and synergy, which benefits both organizations and their clients.
The merged organization maintains the corporate structure of both organizations under the umbrella of a unified board of directors. The change also coincides with the retirement of Bridgeview Executive Director Paul Blair after more than 25 years of service, the release said. Going forward, Bethany President and CEO Bill Steinhauser will provide leadership to both organizations.
Bridgeview Community Mental Health Center is a nonprofit corporation. It is accredited by the state of Iowa to provide a broad range of community mental health services to Clinton County and surrounding areas in Iowa and Illinois. It is located at 1320 19th Ave. NW, Clinton. It employs 34 people and has an annual budget of $3.2 million.
Entities boast long histories
Bridgeview opened in 1970 as Heartland Center before becoming part of Gannon Center in the late 1990s. It then became Bridgeview Community Mental Health Center in 2006. It provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management, mental health therapy, treatment of substance use disorders, community support services and Integrated Health Home teams. For more information on Bridgeview, visit bridgeviewcmhc.com.
Bethany, which was founded in 1899, is headquartered at the Caxton Block Building, 1701 River Drive, Moline, after moving from its former longtime headquarters on Sixth Avenue, Moline. It is a nonprofit child welfare, mental health, community education and social services provider for children and families in western Illinois and eastern Iowa.
Bethany employs 90 social workers, licensed therapists, educators and licensed case managers, along with human resources, business and support staff. With an annual budget of $9.6 million, the agency provides 26 programs and services to nearly 12,000 children and families every year.
Bethany is licensed by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation. For more information, visit bethany-qc.org.
