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Monarch, one of North Carolina’s largest providers of mental health, substance use disorder, intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) and traumatic brain injury services, celebrates its 65^th anniversary this spring.  

Founded in 1958, the organization began when a small group of concerned parents and community leaders set into motion a plan to improve the lives of and provide support to children with disabilities and their families in Stanly County. Their vision laid a foundation for a multi-state organization that serves people across North Carolina and in Rhode Island. 

Monarch supports nearly 30,000 people annually and employs 1,400 staff members. 

 Throughout its 65-year history, Monarch has led the way to provide innovative services for the people it supports, including: 

• Opening the first integrated day care center in North Carolina for children with and without disabilities;
• Opening North Carolina’s first Housing and Urban Development (HUD) group home in Albemarle;
• Creating the state’s first group home for people with Prader-Willi syndrome and later replicating the model in other communities;
• Shifting from sheltered workshops to inclusive community-based day programs for people with I/DD;
  
• Opening North Carolina’s first child and adolescent facility-based crisis center for young people experiencing a mental health crisis;
• Incorporation of occupational therapy services into mental health and I/DD care to support an individual’s success in treatment and recovery;
• Launching new residential programs in Rhode Island, which had not been implemented in that state before, to provide support for people with mental illness and I/DD to leave long-term hospital care and live independently in apartments and group homes with Monarch’s support; and
  
• Developing a specialized curriculum for individuals with I/DD who are also experiencing substance use addiction which is designed to educate and provide support for recovery.

“Monarch has always been a leader in providing life-changing services for individuals and families. From our very first integrated programs for children with disabilities to the recent launch of mobile mental health services, we have continued to look for ways to meet people where they are and to provide the services they need,” said Monarch President and CEO Peggy Terhune, Ph.D., MBA, OTR/L. “We are grateful to the people we support, their families, and community and state leadership who have supported Monarch’s evolution.

“As we plan for our next 65 years, Monarch remains committed to providing high-quality health care services,” Terhune added. “Monarch’s story is one of successfully adapting to the many changes in health care over the decades while leading the way in responding to the needs of the communities we serve. Our Board of Directors and our extraordinary staff are dedicated to continuing that work for many years to come.”  

To view Monarch’s milestones over 65 years, visit MonarchNC.org/history.