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The Start

Mental health providers accepted the challenge when Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr asked them to create a plan for improving access to quality mental health services in Tarrant County for citizens of all ages.

Catalyst for Change: In September 1999, a man suffering from untreated mental illness went on a shooting rampage at Wedgwood Baptist Church, killing seven and then himself. Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr turned to local mental health providers, requesting a plan for improving access to quality mental health services for all residents of Tarrant County.

Cook Children’s Medical Center, Lena Pope, MHMR of Tarrant County, the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth ISD, Tarrant County and the Child Study Center provided leadership and financial resources to accept Mayor Barr’s challenge. This initial group determined parameters for collaborative planning, recruited organizational and individual members, created task forces and developed a fee structure.

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