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Description

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About
We are about the quality treatment of children We believe in returning children to families or the community as quickly as possible A big institution isnt the ideal place for kids but Heartland is a safe positive environment where they can receive the treatment they need We offer services and specialty programs that other residential programs do not Our focus is to change the lives of children and families

Mission
Welcome my name is Alyson Harder CEO of Heartland Behavioral Health Services For more than 100 years this facility has provided care and treatment for children We are proud of our team of professionals our newly renovated facility and our expansive campus that provides a great place for kids when kids really need a great place

The mission of Heartland is to provide programs and services that will improve the overall health and wellbeing of children and their families We achieve this by providing exceptional care through a talented team of health professionals Our clinical team works diligently to build on the strengths of the child and to provide them with the support they need to mend their emotional wounds

We are fortunate to be nestled upon a 50acre campus that allows children to explore their innate creativity and benefit from the healing powers of nature Our children are exposed to expressive therapy techniques that include art drama and music Activity therapy is enhanced through the use of a fishing pond a ROPES course gymnasium tennis court bowling alley basketball court and baseball field We are especially proud of our newly built 5000squarefoot indoor and outdoor equestrian center The Equestrian program is unique to our facility and has proven to be effective in the treatment of behavior disordered youth Our children learn to trust themselves and to once again trust others

Our team of professionals is dedicated to providing prompt access to services in a compassionate and confidential environment Heartland provides a continuum of care that ranges from short term acute psychiatric hospitalization to longer term residential treatment We are specialized in the treatment of preadolescent youth intensive behavior modification sexual disorders those with highly traumatized backgrounds and substance addiction

At Heartland children learn strategies to cope with everyday challenges as they are exposed to a holistic approach to health and wellness We will provide them with a safe and structured environment to begin the process of healing and behavioral change Our goal is to teach children how to live successfully in the community I am proud to be the CEO and the leader of the Heartland family Together we can make a difference in the life of a child

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History

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More Than 100 Years of Caring for Kids

Since its original construction in 1889 our facility in Nevada Mo has been dedicated to caring for children Originally built by the Christian Church as a university Franciscan nuns purchased the building sight unseen for 10000 in 1892

A Labor of Love

The sisters arrived in Nevada on Sept 3 1893 and opened a day school when a man named Hogan was unable to care for his children due to the death of his wife Hogan approached the sisters to take in his children These were the first of many children raised at what was soon to become St Francis Orphanage

Those who could afford to pay for their children to stay paid 5 a month but there were some years when the sisters did not receive a single dollar

In 1901 Sister M John Hau was unanimously voted the Mother Superior She received the same honor each succeeding year until her death in 1948 Mother John only 26 years old when she came to America spent her life devoted to the honor and glory of her Master and the welfare of humanity

Orphanage Reemerges from Ashes

In 1915 a fire burned St Francis Orphanage to the ground Mother John met the loss of her beloved convent with the same staunch courage that typified her life With tears streaming down her face as she watched the facility burn her only feeling was gratitude that God had spared the children from death and injury When asked about rebuilding without hesitation she replied Yes we will rebuild and we will keep all of the children

When it was discovered that there was not enough money from their insurance claim to rebuild the sisters took it upon themselves to salvage the remains washing more than 350000 bricks by hand to use in the reconstruction

The citizens of Nevada opened their arms and hearts to the sisters and the children Community leaders pulled together to help provide for the needs of the orphans and secured temporary housing

On June 18 1916 the cornerstone for the new building was laid Exactly one year later the new convent and chapel were dedicated

A new plan was put into place in 1952 St Francis Orphanage soon became St Francis Academy a boarding school and high school for girls

Heartland Continues Legacy of Devotion to Youth

The facility began serving behavioral health needs in 1982 when Heartland Behavioral Health Services first opened its doors as a psychiatric facility Improvements to the 1916 structure were completed in 1962 and 1986

As the sisters prepared to leave their historical piece of Vernon County in 1982 one of the nuns offered her thoughts on modern families She felt modern parents were too permissive in allowing their children to make their own decisions The need for boarding schools where young people may find individual attention supervision and love is greater today than before due to more working mothers and broken homes

The St Francis Sisters are now happily relocated on an 82acre wooded site in Independence Mo but the halls of Heartland hold their presence and their dedication to needy youth

As the history of this building continues to be written every day its mission is perhaps best described by words found in an old brochure Heartlands staff feels these words are as true today as the day they were written

We want our students to learn to stand erect on their own feet to acquire true ideals a balanced outlook on life and a true sense of spiritual values These things form the basis of the lives they lead the work they do and what they become Its in the very air and spirit of the place and it takes root and grows in their hearts They carry it away with them when they leave and think and talk and act differently the rest of their lives because of it