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KANKAKEE – In a strategic step to strengthen and preserve community-based mental health services, The Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health will begin integration of its programs and staff into Rincon Family Services effective July 1, with anticipated completion in September 2025.
While The Helen Wheeler Center will dissolve as a separate entity, its mission, legacy and core services will live on through Rincon Family Services.
Helen Wheeler has been a provider of comprehensive behavioral health services for children, families, adolescents and adults.
The transition reflects a shared commitment to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality behavioral health care rooted in community trust and compassion. Services will continue at the existing Kankakee location, 202 N. Schuyler Ave., delivered by familiar, experienced professionals, through the transition.
Jackie Haas, president and CEO of the Helen Wheeler Center, who is also the Republican state representative from Bourbonnais, offered the following statement:
“The board and staff at the Helen Wheeler Center are excited to partner with Rincon Family Services to expand upon the 63 years of community-based mental health care we have provided to this community. We are committed to a seamless transition for our clients and look forward to future growth opportunities to enrich the lives of those we serve.”
Eddy F. Borrayo, president and CEO of Rincon Family Services, based in Chicago, offered the following statement:
“For more than six decades, the Helen Wheeler Center has been a lifeline in Kankakee – a place of healing, dignity and community. As we take on the honor of carrying forward its mission, we do so with deep respect for its legacy and an unwavering commitment to those it has served. This is not an ending – it’s a continuation. Together, we will build on this proud history and ensure its impact is felt for generations to come.”
This integration follows months of collaborative planning and reflects the organizations’ shared belief in a holistic and unified approach to mental health care. By bringing together resources, teams and services, Rincon Family Services aims to expand access while safeguarding the values that have long defined the Helen Wheeler Center.
For more information on receiving mental health services or how to support this transition, please contact Jackie Haas at the Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health, 815-939-3543, or hwcjackie@ameritech.net.