McHenry County Mental Health Board

What McHenry County Mental Health Board does

The McHenry County Mental Health Board (MCMHB) is a special-purpose unit of McHenry County, Illinois government, established in 1967 after county voters approved a referendum to levy an annual tax for community mental health facilities and services. It operates under the Illinois Community Mental Health Act (405 ILCS 20, also known as House Bill 708) and is governed by a nine-member board of community representatives appointed by the county. Its statutory mission is to lead and contract for quality behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorder) and intellectual/developmental disability prevention and treatment services for all people of McHenry County.

The board's core service portfolio consists of the MCHelp mobile application (a free, anonymous iOS/Android app offering 24/7 confidential text or talk access to licensed mental health counselors), an online service directory of funded providers, in-person and virtual professional training programs offering free CEUs, an RFP/RFB procurement portal for vendors, and the funding allocation programs that distribute levy and opioid settlement proceeds to a network of 31+ agencies operating 65+ programs. It does not operate a unified clinical software platform; rather, it acts as a funder, coordinator, convener, and community educator, supplementing its funded network with Town Hall meetings, an Annual Summit, a Caregiver Conference, and Community Movie Meetups.

Financially, MCMHB is funded primarily through a recurring county mental health tax levy under Special Retail Tax authority (55 ILCS 5) connected to the Community Mental Health Act, supplemented by opioid settlement funds. For County Fiscal Year 2026 it allocated $10,262,690 in local funds plus $683,000 in opioid settlement funds. Core consumer-facing services are free; most professional training events offer free CEUs, and the annual Caregiver Conference charges a modest $25 fee with scholarships available. The entity is not privately owned, not venture-backed, and operates exclusively within McHenry County.

Name

McHenry County Mental Health Board

Legal name

McHenry County Mental Health Board

Website

https://mc708.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The McHenry County Mental Health Board is a county-government entity that funds, coordinates, and trains a 31-agency network delivering mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services to McHenry County, Illinois residents, supported by a free MCHelp 24/7 counselor app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Program Funding (Public Health) (HLAJALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Mental health services
• Behavioral health funding
• Substance use treatment
• Crisis intervention support
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Crystal Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. County Mental Health Tax Levy: Public funding through annual county mental health tax levy under Special Retail Tax in 55 ILCS 5 of Counties Code, which is enabling legislation for sales tax connected to the Community Mental Health Act.
2. Opioid Settlement Funds: Allocation of $683,000 in Opioid Settlement funds for supporting treatment and recovery services for opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders per Approved Abatement Program list.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The McHenry County Mental Health Board plans, funds, and coordinates publicly supported behavioral health services for McHenry County, Illinois residents. It distributes an approximately $11 million budget to 31+ contracted provider agencies delivering 65+ programs spanning mental health, substance use disorder, and intellectual/developmental disability services, and operates direct-to-resident tools including the MCHelp anonymous 24/7 crisis app, a public Service Directory, and CEU-eligible Mental Health First Aid and ASIST training.

Product overview

McHenry County Mental Health Board operates as a government mental health board providing a portfolio of services centered around behavioral health funding, coordination, and community education. The primary consumer-facing product is the MCHelp App, a free mobile application for anonymous text/call access to mental health counselors. Supporting offerings include a Service Directory connecting residents to funded providers, Mental Health Training Programs (virtual and in-person CEU-eligible trainings), an RFP/RFB procurement system for vendors, and Funding Allocation Programs distributing county funds to 31 network agencies providing 65+ prevention, treatment, and recovery services. The organization does not operate a unified software platform but rather provides direct services, resources, and grant administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MCHelp App: A free anonymous app that allows users to confidentially text or talk to a licensed mental health counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Products and services

• MCHelp Mobile Application Free, anonymous mobile application providing McHenry County residents with 24/7 access to licensed counselors for mental health, substance use, and crisis support; addresses stigma and access barriers by removing identifying information.
• Service Directory Public online directory of mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability service providers available to McHenry County residents seeking care.
• Mental Health First Aid Training Evidence-based training program teaching participants to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges; offered to community members and offered for CEU credit to professionals.
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Two-day interactive suicide intervention training that prepares participants to provide suicide first aid; offered to community members and professionals.
• Continuing Education (CEU) Training Programs Mental health training programs eligible for Continuing Education Units, supporting credentialed professionals and paraprofessionals serving McHenry County.
• Caregiver Conference Annual community conference for caregivers of individuals with mental health, substance use, or IDD needs, with a $25 per-attendee fee, hosted by the Board and Executive Director Bridget Geenen.
• Annual Funding Allocation Program Recurring grant/contract allocation from the County Mental Health Tax Levy to 31+ provider agencies delivering 65+ behavioral health service lines in McHenry County.
• Competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) and Request for Bids (RFB) Annual/spring competitive procurement process through which provider agencies bid to deliver Board-funded behavioral health services.
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Coordination Coordination with the 988 Lifeline to route McHenry County residents in crisis to appropriate local crisis and behavioral health services.

Quantifiable outcome

• FY2026: $10,262,690 allocated in local funds supporting 31 agencies with 65+ services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• McHenry County Department of TransportationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 May 2026MCRide program staff on site at Town Hall to help attendees register for Connect Program offering $15 vouchers for Uber/UZURV trips within the county and fixed routes connecting Harvard, Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock and Elgin.
• Independence Health & TherapycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Host partner for Caregiver Conference - Build Your Village event on March 14, 2026 at McHenry County College. Conference provides education, contacts, and self-care resources for caregivers of individuals with special needs, aging parents, or managing caregiving responsibilities.
• Options & Advocacy of McHenry CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Host partner for Caregiver Conference - Build Your Village. Contact Angela Krambeer at 815-477-4720 ext. 258 for conference information.
• Service, Inc. of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Host partner for Caregiver Conference providing expo vendor booth to serve caregivers and families.
• Clearbrook WestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Host partner for Caregiver Conference providing expo vendor booth to serve caregivers and families.
• Hammortree Financial ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Supporting partner for Caregiver Conference providing expo vendor booth.
• Pioneer Center of McHenry CountyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Collaborator and supporter of Caregiver Conference event.
• Northern Illinois Recovery CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-sponsor of Community Movie Meetup series with discussion on mental health and substance use. Movies include 'Half Nelson', 'The Edge of Seventeen', and 'Violet'.
• Community Foundation for McHenry CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention to McHenry County residents and organizations.
• Liv4LalicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresents Opioid Overdose Prevention & Reversal: Overdose Responder Training providing free CEUs for professionals on naloxone administration and opioid crisis response.
• NAMI McHenry CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity resource referral partner offering numerous workshops, activities and events led by trained peers at no charge for those experiencing loneliness or seeking connection.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelinecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational crisis line partnership providing 24/7/365 support via call, chat, or text with ASL Videophone Service available.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cook County Health: Large county public health system serving Cook County, Illinois. While significantly larger in scale and more clinically focused, it is comparable as a county-government health authority providing mental health and substance use services under the same Illinois statutory framework.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: National 24/7 crisis line offering call, text, and chat support with ASL accessibility. Directly comparable to MCMHB's crisis-access services and explicitly integrated as a referral/awareness partner for McHenry County residents.
• Mental Health America: National community-based nonprofit focused on mental health awareness, education, advocacy, and workplace mental health (operator of the Bell Seal program that awarded MCMHB in 2024). Comparable as an upstream advocacy, awareness, and certification body that complements county-level service delivery.

Direct peers

• Will County Health Department: County-level public health department serving Will County, Illinois with behavioral health and substance use programming. Comparable as a neighboring Illinois county government health authority with overlapping regulatory environment and service mix.
• Kane County Health Department: Kane County, Illinois public health department with behavioral health and substance use programming for county residents. Closely comparable in scale, structure, and statutory basis to McHenry County's mental health board.
• DuPage County Health Department: County-level public health authority in DuPage County, Illinois that funds, coordinates, and delivers behavioral health and substance use services — operates under the same Illinois Community Mental Health Act framework as MCMHB, making it a closely comparable government mental health authority in an adjacent county.
• Aunt Martha's Health & Wellness: Federally Qualified Health Center and current MCMHB-funded provider integrating primary care and behavioral health services across Illinois. Comparable as an Illinois-based nonprofit behavioral health provider with similar target populations and county-level contracting model.
• Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center: Lake County, Illinois government entity that provides behavioral health, substance use, and developmental disability services to county residents. Highly comparable in mission, funding model (county government), and service portfolio to MCMHB.
• NAMI McHenry County: Local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness serving the same McHenry County geography. Comparable as a community mental health advocacy, education, and peer support organization operating in MCMHB's service area with a similar resident-focused mission.

Regional players

• Thresholds: Large Illinois-based nonprofit providing mental health, substance use, and housing services across the Chicago region. Comparable as a regional behavioral health provider that could plausibly partner with or compete against MCMHB-funded agencies in northern Illinois.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mchenry-county-mental-health-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McHenry County Mental Health Board