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The History of PMHC Though Penndel Mental Health Center was formally incorporated in 1973, its
history extends back to 1949. In
that year, the Superintendent of Norristown State Hospital, Dr. Arthur Noyes,
established satellite after-care clinics operated by the hospital, one of which
was located in Doylestown. These
clinics eventually incorporated as separate entities called Tri-County Mental
Health Clinics, which served Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware Counties.
On May 28, 1958, a new independent agency, the Mental Health Guidance
Clinic of Bucks County was formed, replacing the Tri-County clinic in Bucks.
The headquarters of MHGC was in Doylestown, but there was a satellite
location at 120 Bellevue Avenue in Penndel. In May of 1961, MHGC changed its
name to the Bucks County Psychiatric Center (BCPC).
The community responded positively to the concept of providing mental
health services in the community and by 1963, BCPC provided the fifth highest
total of outpatient services of all Pennsylvania clinics, with the other four
centers who ranked higher being in either Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. Since BCPC needed to grow and expand to meet community need, plans were
developed to build or purchase new offices at both sites.
In 1966, land was purchased at 1517 Durham Road in Penndel and a new site
was identified in Doylestown. Eventually,
the latter site became too expensive so all proceeds from a capital building
campaign went toward the new construction in Penndel, which opened in May of
1969. The Doylestown site was re-located to a building on Bristol
Road and Route 202 in Chalfont. In 1966, as a result of the passing of the landmark Mental Health &
Mental Retardation Act, new and more comprehensive services were offered at both
BCPC sites. The newly developed
Bucks County Office of Mental Health & Mental Retardation determined that
each of the two BCPC sites would be designated as Base Service Units, whose
primary responsibility was to provide the services mandated by the Act of 1966.
The two sites covered Central and Lower Bucks catchment areas
respectively. In 1971, the BCPC Board of Directors decided to create separate Board
committees to focus on each site. Then,
in 1973, it was decided that each site would be incorporated as an independent
agency. The Penndel site was re-named the Penndel Psychiatric Center, as per the
articles of incorporation that were approved that same year.
Simultaneously, the Central Bucks site was re-named Lenape Valley
Foundation. Penndel Mental Health
Center changed its name one more time, and on July 1, 1978, the Penndel
Psychiatric Center became formally known as Penndel Mental Health Center (PMHC).
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