In 1964, Mon Valley residents seeking social services had to travel to county seats in Washington, Greensburg or Uniontown.

Because of that, a group of concerned local leaders, in association with the United Way, commissioned a study by the University of Pittsburgh to examine the situation and suggest a remedy.

The study suggested creation of a local umbrella agency to develop a human services system.

This week, the agency that grew out of that effort – Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services Inc. – marked 50 years of locally delivered social services in the Valley.

With an $18,000 grant from the Mon Valley United Fund, now known as the Mon Valley United Way, the Mon Valley United Health Services established Home Health Services, a visiting nurses organization housed at the former Second Street School in Charleroi. Eventually, day care was added.

In 1965, the Mon Valley Health and Welfare Authority was created to oversee planning and construction of the Mon Valley Community Health Center in Monessen. Construction in the city's Eastgate section began in 1969 and was completed in summer 1971. In 1978, two floors were added.

While Mon Valley United Health Services Inc. was the delivery agency, the Mon Valley Health and Welfare Council was the research and planning agency for health and welfare services in the Valley.

SPHS Chief Operating Officer Luther Sheets said the federal government chose the Valley as one of a dozen areas nationwide for a grant program to experiment with health delivery services. The federal government asked the local agencies to offer ideas for delivery systems to their areas. The council received a multi-year grant to provide those services.

Recognizing the large senior population, the agency ultimately acquired the Area Agency on Aging, which initially covered Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene counties. Westmoreland County ultimately took aging services in-house.

In 1984, Wendell Ramey, executive director of the Mon Valley Health and Welfare Council, proposed the merger of his agency and Mon Valley United Health Services Inc.

A nine-month study of the proposed merger followed.

But the merger did not come easily. When the vote was taken, it was 7-7, before Chairwoman Kitty Maron cast the deciding yes vote.

“That turned out to be the most important act taken in the history of this organization because without that consolidation, you would not have the structure you have today or the capacity to cover as much of an area or be as diversified an organization as we have today,” Don Goughler, executive vice president and chief executive officer of SPHS in the mid-1980s, said in a documentary about the organization. The documentary was screened at the agency's 50th anniversary gala Thursday at the Willow Room in Rostraver Township.

Upon Ramey's death, the road in front of the health center was renamed Wendell Ramey lane.

In 2006, SPHS moved its headquarters to Charleroi. Monessen city offices are located in the former health center complex.

Jeff Burks Mascara became CEO of SPHS in 1999. He has overseen much growth of the organization. From 2000 though today, SPHS' annual budget has grown from $32 million to $60 million.

Today, SPHS offers more than 50 office locations and employs more than 900 professional and support staff members. SPHS serves more than 60,000 people annually.

SPHS is the parent organization for an umbrella of agencies that provide a wide variety of services:

• Mon Valley Community Health Services Inc.: primary care, family planning, pediatric care and WIC.

• Southwest Behavioral Care Inc.: Substance abuse treatment, DUI/UAD services, mental health treatment, mental health residential, co-occurring treatment and forensic services.

• Connect Inc.: homeless services, emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and Washington Family Center.

• Comprehensive Community Services Inc.: property management and asset management.

• Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging Inc. – PDA Medicaid, center services, legal/protective services, senior employment services and home and community based services.

• The CARE Center Inc.: Substance abuse treatment, DUI/UAD services, mental health treatment, sexual assault counseling, mental health residential and crisis intervention services.

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