The Portage Health Foundation Acquires Dial Help

Dial Help and the Portage Health Foundation have worked closely for many years, and will soon begin to work even closer. Recently the Portage Health foundation announced the organization has acquired Dial Help as a branch of their operations. The groups began discussing coming together a few years back, according to Dial Help Executive Director, Rebecca Crane

“So, I think about four or five years ago, Kevin and I started to talk about, what could be, if we were to join forces. And just provide more services to the area, cause at that point they were not a service arm. They were a funder. So five years later, here we are.” – Rebecca Crane, executive Director, Dial Help

The partnership between Dial Help and PHF will help consolidate many of the administrative aspects to the crisis and victims services organization. And allow the foundation and Dial help to more easily address mental and behavioral health issues within the community.

“That’s were the magic comes in. And we have looked at this as a way of centralizing some of the key administrative functions. You know, accounts payable, finance auditing, those types of things. While at the same time centralizing those, will create efficiency of scale, that will allow more resources to be put into their programs.” – Kevin Store, Executive Director, Portage Health Foundation

The partnership also moves the portage health foundation into a rare category for non-profit foundations. As now PHF is considered an operating foundation.

“It is rare. Only about three percent of foundations in the country function as an operating foundation. Bu the way that we look at it, and one of the things that we’ve talked about over the last couple of years is. This is very closely aligned with our goal, our mission, to invest in our community and make it a healthier community. A more healthful community. And the money being invested into helping Rebecca and her team, better scale, better strategize, and more importantly, we can be more intentful on the services that are being offered to the community.” – Kevin Store, Executive Director, Portage Health Foundation

Dial Help’s department leaders will begin working toward transitioning into the Portage Health Foundation family of non profits. They do plan to continue all of their regular services, such as the crisis call center, children’s outreach programs and more. You can find a full copy of the Portage Health Foundation and Dial Help’s announcement below.

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Portage Health Foundation and Dial Help Full Press Release:

Portage Health Foundation (PHF) is looking to strengthen mental and behavior health services in Michigan’s Copper Country through the acquisition of Dial Help. The move became official on Saturday, April 1, after being approved by both organizations’ Board of Directors and the office of Michigan’s Attorney General.

“The work Dial Help has been doing in our community for more than half a century is incredibly admirable,” PHF Executive Director Kevin Store said. “We have been a partner with them since we started, and this move will do nothing but strengthen the work the caring and compassionate staff at Dial Help does on a regular basis. As we’ve collaborated through the years it’s become more and more clear how similar our missions are. Now we’ll be able to work together even closer to make our community a more healthful place.”

Over the coming months PHF and Dial Help staff will work closely to optimize operations and implement key strategies meant to fill mental and behavior health gaps to better serve residents of Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties. All Dial Help staff, offices and services, including the Crisis Line, will continue to operate as they have.

In the long run, the centralization of operational activities such as information technology, human resources, accounting and communications will allow for more and better services related to improving mental and behavior health in the region. One example of this already underway is the recent Dial Help expansion of a mental behavior health department with the recent onboarding of Brian D. Rendel, LLP, LPC, NCC and Kim Green, LMSW, CAADC.

“I am excited for our entire team to be joining the Portage Health Foundation family,” Dial Help Executive Director Rebecca Crane, MS, said. “Our shared vision of developing and providing services where supports and resources are currently lacking is much needed in our community.”

Dial Help has been serving Michigan’s Copper Country for more than 52 years, starting as a local all-volunteer crisis line in 1971 for those struggling with addiction and eventually serving a much larger population going through any number of personal crises. Dial Help also provides prevention programming for youth and a host of services to those effected by sexual assault and other forms of crime.

“This merger gives us collectively a strong framework to assess for and serve those individuals and families who currently do not have a place to turn,” Crane said. “We are focused on evaluating and addressing those areas in our community where services are lacking or are completely absent.”

You can learn more about Dial Help at dialhelp.org or by following them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Information about Portage Health Foundation can be found at phfgive.org or by following PHF on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Subscribing to the PHF Podcast.