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1980’s

At the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Centers’ (TAMHO) 1986 Annual Meeting, Tipper Gore presented a keynote address concerning children’s mental health issues. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mrs. Gore requested the assistance of Dick Blackburn, Executive Director of TAMHO and others, to organize a diverse and comprehensive group of individuals from across Tennessee to concentrate efforts on children’s mental health issues. The original group met for approximately 4 years on a quarterly basis to share information and informally work together to improve services for children.

TVC was formally organized in 1990 as a statewide coalition of individuals, agencies and organizations working together as a Steering Council to promote children’s mental health services. At that time, a survey conducted by the National Mental Health Association, the "Invisible Children Project," uncovered the startling fact that Tennessee had the second highest population of children in state hospitals across the country: 97 out of 100,000 children as compared to the national average of 37 per 100,000. Combined with this was the serious shortage of community based family centered children’s mental health services, other than inpatient or outpatient, and a shortage of funding targeted to those necessary services.

Tipper Gore served as Chair of the coalition until Spring, 1993. Her long record as an advocate for both adults and children with mental health needs attracted attention to the issues involved. The statewide coalition she brought together identified two major objectives: 1) to promote the development of home and community–based services for Tennessee’s children and their families, and 2) to encourage employers and insurance companies to provide reimbursement for mental health services that are community-based and family-centered, just as physical health services were reimbursed.

1990’s

From 1990-1993, TVC operated under the umbrellas of the Mental Health Association in Nashville (MHAN) and was staffed with a half-time coordinator. The coalition’s activities during this time were funded by a juvenile grant administered by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY). Additional staff support and office space were provided by MHAN.

In 1993, Anne Ince assumed the chair of the steering council and Lisa McInturf was hired as Executive Director. Under Lisa’s leadership, TVC was established as a leader in children’s mental health issues.  At that time, the 32-member steering council decided on a new course of action. They sponsored a series of four public policy forums on "Children’s Issues in the ‘90s" to enhance the coalition’s education and public awareness agenda. The targeted audience included policymakers, opinion leaders, the media, representatives from human service networks, and business and policy leaders. The forums focused on the topics of Prevention; Juvenile Justice; Communities, Schools and Families; and Financing Strategies for Mental Health Needs.

At the fourth conference held in September, 1993, Tipper Gore announced that TVC had received additional funding for a three-year grant administered by the Federal Center for Mental Health Services to pursue the development and implementation of a Statewide Family Support Network for families with children impacted by emotional and behavioral difficulties. TVC then became a not for profit 501 (c) (3) organization with a Board of Directors and Advisory Council. TVC is dedicated to providing education and public awareness about children’s education, emotional and behavioral issues and to build and strengthen families through a Statewide Family Support Network. The first volume of "The Networker" quarterly newsletter was sent out in 1994. It now reaches over 11,000 Tennesseans.

In 1995, TVC partnered with the Georgetown University Development Center’s National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health to provide a three-day intensive training conference and institute on Managed Care and Children. Later that year, TVC’s Family Support Network hosted a conference on family support entitled "Collaboration, Networking and Support: Keys to Securing Positive Outcomes." Later that year, Charlotte Bryson came on board as TVC’s Executive Director, a position she still holds.

TVC’s most powerful conference, "State of the Child" made its debut in 1996. The 3-day conference is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of Tennessee Children. The 1996 event featured a Town Hall Meeting and the debut of TVC’s golf classic.

1997 was a busy time as the annual Children’s Mental Health Week Celebration was held for the first time. The week is designed for public awareness including depression screenings and a festival at the Nashville Zoo. The festival includes activities and games for children and information booths featuring many agencies throughout the greater Nashville area. Since the inception of the celebration in 1997, TVC locations in Knoxville, Jackson, Memphis, Smithville, Johnson City and Chattanooga have started holding events as well. A Spring Conference "Understanding the Psychological and Physical Effects of Trauma” was presented.

In an effort to grow as a community resource, TVC and Regional Intervention Program received a collaborative grant from the Frist Foundation in 1998 for shared media and the library was begun. Currently TVC’s library contains over 3500 materials including books, magazines, newsletters, brochures, audio and videocassettes covering over 75 topics related to children’s mental health issues. At this time, TVC co-sponsored "Pieces – Putting Innovative Efforts Into Communities Encountering Substance Abuse" conference and presented the 2nd State of the Child conference.

In 1999, TVC moved to its current location on 8th Avenue after receiving The Nashville Connection $12 million dollar/six year grant.  Events that year included the Co-Occurring Disorders and Youth Violence conferences. At the January 1999 Board of Directors meeting, members voted unanimously that the Board should be comprised of a minimum of 51% parents or family members whose lives are touched by emotional and behavioral disorders. During this year, TVC conducted 63 trainings and workshops, which reached over 5000 participants.

2000's

Moving into the early 2000’s, Tennessee Voices for Children continues to grow. TVC now employees over 50 full and part time employees.  TVC also has programs focusing on Suicide Prevention Training, Childcare Consulting, and a collaborative effort with the ARC of Nashville. TVC continues to present the State of the Child conference while co sponsoring others including the Youth Violence and Parenting As Prevention conferences. TVC has implemented a Youth Council as a joint effort between the Statewide Family Support Network and The Nashville Connection Grants. TVC collaborated with the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies (VIPPS) in a project to evaluate the impact of Managed Care on the families of children with SED and with substance abuse disorders. Although these are two separate studies, VIPPS has collected data on the children with co-occurrence of these disorders. This was one of the first studies to collect such data. The data from the Impact of Managed Care on Children with SED is currently being disseminated across the state and country. This project is funded by SAMHSA. TVC has full technical resources including a fully networked computer system, email, Internet, website, resource library, and extensive training materials.

TVC strives to meet its mission and goals by providing forums, conferences, education and training to parents, professionals, policy makers, business and community leaders. TVC provides information, referrals, advocacy and support groups. TVC is a contributing partner in the state’s efforts to develop and refine policy regarding children with mental health needs and their families. It is a voting member of the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Mental Health Planning Council. TVC staff and family members participate on this council. TVC staff and family members are represented on the Mental Health Regional Planning Councils, the advisory boards of each of the original two behavioral health organizations, and the children’s committee of the Mental Health Planning Council.

TVC is a statewide non-profit organization committed to improving the well being of children and youth with serious emotional and behavioral disorders and their families. TVC provides the opportunity for families, professionals and other interested state and community representatives to speak with one voice about the needs of children with emotional problems and their families. Families served by Tennessee in advocating for a child-centered, family–voiced, community based, culturally competent, coordinated system of care for children with a serious emotional disturbance and their families. TVC believes family members and all the diverse strengths a family brings must be an integral part of the system at all levels. Our objective is for children to be cared for and successful in their homes, schools and communities. TVC works as a strong partner with teachers, professionals, child serving agencies, juvenile justice, researchers and public officials to accomplish this goal.