| Related Links |
|
| Fairfax County Special Needs Registry |
|
| Virginia Youth Survey Report |
|
| Virginia DMHMRSAS
|
|
| Northern Virginia Regional Partnership Planning Project |
The Woodburn Center
The Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health began in 1946 as the Fairfax County Child Consultation Service. When the National Mental Health Act was passed in 1948, matching federal funds became available for development and expansion. By 1950, the Service had changed its name to the Fairfax Child Guidance Clinic and was part of the Virginia Department of Mental Hygiene and Hospitals. It is the second oldest public outpatient psychiatric clinic in Virginia. The clinic continued to grow rapidly and, in 1960, added services for adults. The name was changed from a child guidance clinic to a clinic that included services for adults.
In 1968 there was further growth with the addition of the South County Mental Health Center, now known as Mount Vernon Center for Community Mental Health. In August 1973, the Fairfax-Falls Church Mental Center moved from its old location at Seven Corners to the present facility and changed its name to the Woodburn Center. The building of over 300,000 square feet was constructed with federal funds under provisions of the Community Mental Health Center's Act of 1963. In April 1974, Woodburn Center received a Federal Staffing Grant, thus changing its name to the Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health, and the Center was mandated to offer five essential services: Outpatient Services, Inpatient Services, twenty-four hour Emergency Services, Partial Hospitalization, and Consultation and Education. Woodburn Center does not currently offer any inpatient services.
In July 1974, the Woodburn Center transferred from a State agency to a Fairfax County agency. Funding for the Center has been derived from the Federal Government N.I.M.H. Staffing Grant, Fairfax County, the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and client fees for services which are set on an "ability to pay" schedule. In March 1982, the Center completed its Federal Grant and no longer is funded with federal dollars.
In July of 1995, the mental health system of Fairfax County was re-organized by clinical function. The previous system of three mental health centers was restructured into one mental health organizational entity with six major sites and many residential facilities. However, the same array of services, some of them revised and updated to meet the changing healthcare environment, are being provided with continued emphasis on efficiency and effectiveness. The Woodburn Center has now completed more than fifty years of service to the residents of central Fairfax County, the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax, and northern Virginia in general.
Statement of Center Philosophy
The Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health is committed to providing quality service which is readily accessible and responsive to the mental health needs of residents in our community.
Our mission has two major thrusts: the first is that of serving individuals and families who come to the Center in need of assistance. The second is that of strengthening and supporting existing formal and informal support networks in the community dealing with mental health, mental retardation, and alcohol and substance abuse services.
The primary objective of every service is to assist each client in achieving the highest level of personal adjustment possible while remaining in the community as a functional citizen. We believe that the most effective treatment can be provided by mental health professionals using an interdisciplinary team approach which assures the client's receiving the most appropriate form of intervention.
Equally as important as direct treatment are the consultation and
education aspects of the Center's mission, designed to promote mental
health in the community. This requires that the Center take the
initiative in providing training and supportive consultation for those
community caregivers, agencies, and institutions that provide support to
area residents. Workshops and seminars for the general public dealing
with ways to increase their level of functioning, reduce the likelihood
of mental dysfunction. These outreaching involvements aid in the
education of community residents about mental health in general and helps
to involve a widening circle of residents in programs assisting the
broader spectrum of community development. For example, in the wake of
the attacks of September 11, 2001, the mental health system applied for
and received a Federal grant to provide outreach post-trauma
interventions in the community targeted at multiethnic populations,
geriatric populations, children, and individuals who lost family members
or friends at the Pentagon.
The Center provides services to individuals experiencing problems or
inquiring about mental health, mental retardation and/or substance abuse
issues and programs. Specific programs provided by the Woodburn Center
include outpatient services for adults, children and adolescents, a
comprehensive community support service for the seriously mentally ill,
emergency services (twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week) including
a mobile crisis unit, and a broad spectrum of adult and youth residential
services offering varying balances of supervision and independence in
group homes, hospital to community transitional settings, apartments,
etc.
Other specialized services include a Forensic Unit at the Adult Detention Center; a geriatrics outreach program; mental retardation resource team; diagnostic services for the Juvenile Court, and dual diagnosis and treatment services for those experiencing both mental health and substance abuse problems.
The Center has a staff of approximately 185 clinical and support personnel.
