COMTREA History

In 1973, Jefferson County had few service agencies or alternatives for the legal system. Counseling was expensive and only available by traveling to Saint Louis. Alcohol or other drug counseling was almost unavailable at any price. The county needed professional mental health services but did not have the finances to create an agency to provide them.

One of the first men to recognize the need was John Anderson, Magistrate Judge. Anderson, W.H.S. (Stu) O'Brien, a public defender, and the District Supervisor of State Probation and Parole, Melvin G. Williams, met on an informal basis numerous times lamenting the lack of assistance to the judicial system. The three men decided to create a not-for-profit corporation which would build a "half-way house," the most immediate need seen. Enlisting the aid of attorneys Brent Williams and G. William Weier and Jefferson County Sheriff, Walter "Buck" Buerger, the papers were filed. The Articles of Incorporation were approved and the Corporation was created on January 22, 1973. The agency's goal was "to reduce recidivism... and allow the community to participate in his reintegration into the community." The corporation advertised for an Executive Director.

The group picked Stephen F. Huss, chairman of the Social Studies Department of Hillsboro Secondary School for the job of Executive Director. He began in March 1973, serving without pay until the agency became financially viable. Stu O'Brien and John Anderson both contributed $5 to open a checking account--instructions were given to Huss to "make it grow." The group began efforts to obtain publicity and funding. This effort focused on the theme, "People Need People," explained the purpose of the center, gave a rationale for community care and solicited donations under the Federal 501 C3 status recently obtained. The agency’s legal name, Community Treatment Incorporated was shortened to Com-Trea—the first syllables of each word. Thus “COMTREA” came into being.

Williams sought assistance from the Region V Missouri Law Enforcement Assistance Council and Huss approached the Division of Alcoholism on the Missouri Department of Mental Health for financial aid.

The honeymoon period ended in September 1973 when COMTREA selected an old meat-packing building in Festus for the site of the proposed half-way house. While Senator Eagleton headlined a "box-lunch auction" for the agency, and State Representatives and other county political figures supported the effort, community opposition increased due to the visibility of the proposed site in the middle of downtown Festus. The Board stood by the site in spite of personal attacks and continued the effort to secure funds.

The last newspaper article in 1974 which dealt with the agency announced: "COMTREA Means Hope in Jefferson County" (Saint Louis Post Dispatch).

1976 became the pivotal year for COMTREA. A disastrous fire gutted the building on February 22. Like Phoenix, COMTREA arose stronger. The community really understood what it would lose without the center. It rallied around the agency. The year also brought a finalization of its future direction. The residential program had been funded by a combination of Probation and Parole money and Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse money. But, the Probation office wanted all the beds and was willing to pay a substantial amount more than the DADA. Huss approached the Board with the idea that COMTREA should forgo the lucrative Probation contract money on principle. After much discussion, the Board committed to becoming the community mental health center for the county. COMTREA chose to develop along the lines of the mental health system rather than legal system because of the increasing community demands for professional counseling on an outclient basis in the areas of psychiatric, family problems and child abuse. Schools began referring children to the agency and the community recognized COMTREA as being responsive to the community demands for services.

COMTREA developed a stable (although inadequate) funding source for the agency--the Missouri Department of Mental Health. It was one of the first programs in Missouri to be certified by the DMH. "COMTREA Becomes Integral Part of Twin Cities'" read the headlines in early 1978. In cooperation with the Saint Louis State Hospital, COMTREA initiated psychiatric counseling for those who needed medication

The Missouri Department of Mental Health designated COMTREA as the Community Mental Health Center for Jefferson County (Service Area 22). Also during the year, the agency took over the small Saint Louis State Hospital Outreach Center in Hillsboro's County Health Clinic. In 1981, one newspaper headline stated "Growth and Change Make COMTREA Indispensable." But, President Reagan's massive cuts in alcohol and drug funding forced the closing of the Resident Program and the elimination of the Saint Louis branch office..

In 1983, the DMH asked COMTREA to direct the counseling for dioxin and flood victims in the Times Beach area in addition to its other duties. Two days after being contacted, COMTREA staff began assisting traumatized community members in Times Beach.

In April 1984, COMTREA secured the passage of a Marriage and Divorce fee for the support of Abuse victims in Jefferson County and began a jail counseling program. Mental Health Month, May, brought a Family Day and a celebrity auction which used items donated by Willie Nelson, President Ford, Alan Alda, Billy Graham, Pat Boone, Ray Charles, and others. The Serendipity Singers were brought in for a concert.

In 1986 the agency became the ninth in the state to be certified by the Missouri Department of Mental Health for Psychiatric Services. From the middle of April until August 5, COMTREA staff and over two hundred volunteers worked toward the passage of the 10 tax. The issue passed with almost 60 percent of the vote, losing only three rural precincts out of 80. This guaranteed $800,000+ per year for mental health services to the county. In September, the County Commission appointed the COMTREA Board as the Community Mental Health Fund Board for the county as the presiding County Commissioner as a member. In October, COMTREA purchased property on Armbruster Road near Athena/DeSoto for the residential program mandated by the DADA. The property included a 4100 sq.ft. home, an out-building, 18 acres and a stocked pond. Staff spent remainder of the year working on and developing Spouse Abuse Shelter, residential chemical abuse treatment, and expanding other programs.

In 1988 the "Jefferson County Day Treatment Program" for children who were severely emotionally disturbed and severely behaviorally disordered opened six months after a group of educators met with COMTREA. That same year Dr. Huss had an article published by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The article, "Fighting Drug Abuse the Wrong Way," focused on the need for an overall attack on chemical use and abuse using prevention, education, outreach, case finding, and treatment.

Other major events included: 1993 Children’s First legislation; 1995 COMTREA opens Keaton Center RCF and helps establish a crisis program, BHR; 1997 La Jade Theater was donated to COMTREA; 1998 COMTREA’s “A Safe Place” Domestic Violence Shelter opened; 2000 Treatment Family Homes for children with chemical abuse problems opened in De Soto by COMTREA and the Children’s Advocacy Center for forensic sexual abuse is created in De Soto and Sullivan serving nine counties; and the agency received National Accreditation by the Council on Accreditation (COA) for all of its programs. In 2001 Dr Huss presented a paper to the Franklin-Covey International Symposium presentation in Salt Lake about the use of 7-Habits for Teens in the Adolescent program and opened the St Louis office on Cherokee St. In 2002 the agency began Divorce Mediation services and participated on a committee which developed a Jefferson County Drug Court. In 2003 COMTREA implemented the COMTREA-School Liaison Project which placed a professional counselor one day a week in each of the 11 public schools in Jefferson County.

Since 2003 COMTREA spearheaded the effort to pass a children’s services sales tax which funds the Liaison project, will provide an office along the Hyw 30 corridor, expands psychiatric care for children, and provides innovative services to the county legal system.

The agency begin with two $5 donations and increased its budget to over $9.8 million by 2005. From a “half-way house” for seventeen young boys who had criminal charges and were drug users in 1973, COMTREA grew to a comprehensive community mental health center with offices in seven cities and serving over 5,000 people in 2004. From a staff of 3.5, COMTREA grew to a staff of 257 in January of 2006. Programs in 2006 included: individual counseling and therapy for psychiatric, chemical abuse, personal and family problems; seniors' services; group counseling and therapy; family counseling and therapy: in their own home; in one of the COMTREA locations; psychological testing and evaluation; psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis; day treatment: for children (Jefferson County only); Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center; for chemical abuse- C-STAR (all of Lincoln, Warren, St. Charles, Franklin, Jefferson counties, St. Louis County south of Hwy 40 and St. Louis City south of Hwy 44); child abuse counseling and therapy; rape counseling; death and dying counseling; domestic violence counseling: for victim; for perpetrator; exit and entry point for the Missouri Department of Mental Health (Jefferson County only); referral as appropriate; case management services to clients; follow-up and aftercare; specialized children's services; specialized seniors' services crisis response (flood, other disaster). For residential care, COMTREA offers: chemical abuse residential programming for adults: 42 beds; social detox;C-STAR day treatment, (partially United Way funded): 18 beds in three group homes; social-detox; victims of Domestic Violence: 22 beds; emergency; short term care; emergency psychiatric medical care; including crisis response and crisis beds; residential care facility for 24 psychiatric patients. In the areas of consultation and evaluation, COMTREA provides: mental health consultation for schools, churches, etc.; prevention/education: chemical abuse; domestic violence; suicide; depression; family problems; Substance Abuse Traffic Offenders' Program; Gambling Addiction Program; Divorce Education (court mandated in Jefferson County); Employee Assistance Programs; Jefferson County Adult Drug Court, Divorce Mediation, Jefferson County Adolescent Drug Court, and provides an extensive web site: www.COMTREA.org.

The vision of the COMTREA Board allowed the program to grow. The Board is comprised of local leaders in Jefferson County who put mental health needs above party issues or personal biases. This is the strength of the agency.

Dr. Stephen F. Huss, COMTREA CEO.

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