JOPLIN, Mo. – Audience applauses were rather plentiful during a special banquet held Thursday evening at Joplin’s Cornell Arts and Entertainment Center, celebrating Ozark Center’s 60th anniversary.

But the loudest and longest took place early in Vicky Mieseler’s speech, when Ozark Center’s Chief Administrative Officer mentioned a very special number.

The establishment of walk-in clinics, she said, “has allowed us to serve more than 15,000 patients each year.” Here, Mieseler paused, smiling, as applause echoed throughout the theater. “That’s a lot of healing.”

The clinics are one of numerous achievements accomplished by the area’s largest and most comprehensive behavioral healthcare provider over the last six decades, ranging from integrating substance use treatment, mental health care, and overall health care under a single roof to destigmatizing mental health as a whole; from providing housing for adults with serious mental illness to being early adopters of the Trauma Informed Care initiative – to name only a few.

Ozark Center first opened on February 15, 1965, during a time when the mental health care landscape was vastly different.

Embracing a new era of community-based mental health care, “Ozark Center was at the forefront of this transformation, a real pioneer of this movement, bringing mental health services out of the institutions and right into our neighborhoods,” Mieseler said.

Since becoming an entity of Freeman Health System in 1996, Ozark Center has established a well-earned reputation as “a cornerstone of community mental health in the area,” she added.

During the ceremony, Missouri State Senator Jill Carter presented Mieseler with a Missouri Senate proclamation for the remarkable care Ozark Center provides to Joplin area residents.

“We’re there to help guide people through difficult times and trauma,” Mieseler continued. “That’s really our mission.”

Freeman Health System’s President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker spoke about her years working at Ozark Center.

“I saw first hand the transformational impact the center’s services had on the individuals we served, and I knew I wanted to be a part of that,” Baker said, who launched her Ozark Center career as executive secretary in 1981. “What was intended to be temporary ended up being my passion on an everyday basis for almost 30 years.”

Baker was a guiding force behind the development of Bill & Virginia Leffen Center for Autism during her tenure as Ozark Center’s Chief Executive Officer.

“As we honor our past, let us also look forward to the future,” Baker said. “We must continue to break the stigma surrounding mental health and advocate for policies that support affordable and comprehensive care. We must strive to be a beacon of hope for all individuals that seek our support.”

The night’s guest speaker was Joplin Police Chief Dr. Richard Pearson, who just a month ago established the innovative co-responder program, a partnership between the police department and Ozark Center, the first of its kind in the Joplin region.

Pearson said his officers keep dealing with the same people over and over again, and the program is his way to shatter what he termed a “vicious cycle.”

Instead of arresting people, which rapidly overflows jails and courthouses, the department now has three full-time co-responders hired and funded by Ozark Center. These embedded individuals work shoulder-to-shoulder with detectives and beat cops and are trained to directly deal with residents suffering from mental illness, homelessness or drug addiction, helping to alleviate their situation and steering them toward a positive outcome.

“The program helps people; it’s not about making arrests,” Dr. Pearson said. “It’s worked out really, really well so far – really well. We are here to protect and serve. And part of that service is being compassionate and thoughtful.”

The co-responder program is just one of multiple dozens showcasing how Ozark Center continues to make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of Joplin area residents on a daily basis.

“As we mark this 60th anniversary, we recommit ourselves to the vital work of promoting mental health and well-being in this community. The challenges ahead are significant, but so is our collective strength and determination,” Mieseler said. “Here’s to the past 60 years of healing, hope, and transformation. And here's to the next 60 years of innovation, compassion, and community impact.”