[JANUARY 7, 2019] In 2019, WellStone Inc. celebrates 50 years of operations serving the greater North Alabama community. Founded in 1969, WellStone is North Alabama’s largest and most comprehensive behavioral healthcare provider. WellStone served over 13,175 unduplicated individuals in 2018 and the organization continues to grow throughout Madison, Morgan and Cullman Counties.

WellStone will commemorate its 50th anniversary with annual events including the Beacon of Hope Celebration (May 2019) and the Cullman Partners for Hope Celebration in conjunction with the Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation (September 2019).

Originally founded as the Huntsville-Madison County Health Board, the organization evolved to WellStone Behavioral Health and today, simply WellStone. A strategic merger with the Cullman Mental Health Authority in 2017 expanded the organization’s service area to include Cullman County.

WellStone CEO Jeremy Blair shares, “North Alabama continues to grow at an increasing pace, and we are evolving to serve our community. As the leader in behavioral healthcare, we offer a multi-disciplinary approach and invaluable connections across counseling, substance abuse and a wide variety of programs that can’t be found with an individual provider. Most of all, we recognize and appreciate the importance of the individuals within our care. We’re a people-focused organization, and our clients always come first.”

Blair describes the 50th anniversary milestone as a testament to the commitment of 400+ WellStone employees to delivering on core values (“Caring, Committed and Can-Do”) daily. The growth in client base as well as employees demonstrates the on-going need for services in the community.

WellStone COO Chris Van Dyke added, “Whether you were a part of the team at its founding or you recently joined our ranks, we all share in this milestone as a team. We’re a part of the overall health and well-being of our community, and we take that commitment seriously.”

WellStone will announce further anniversary events and stories throughout the year.

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About Wellstone Inc.: WellStone Inc. is a non-profit community organization that provides mental health and substance abuse services supporting the integrated health of the whole person. WellStone operates 12 facilities throughout North Alabama and Cullman. WellStone is certified through the Alabama Department of Mental Health. WellStone offers programs for children, adolescents, adults, substance abuse, school-based outreach, community services and more. For more information, visit www.wellstone.com. Additional media inquiries can be directed to the Communications Office by emailing pr@wellstone.com or by calling (256) 705-6301.