C. Tolbert Rowe has been elected Chair of the Board of Channel Marker, Inc., a leading service provider in fighting the stigma of mental illness on the Mid-Shore for more than 40 years. His election follows the consolidation of two governing boards – Channel Marker, Inc. and the Channel Marker Foundation, Inc.

To serve clients and the community more efficiently, Channel Marker merged the two boards into one operating unit served by one board of directors, effective July 1, 2022. Mr. Rowe of Caroline County previously served as Executive Director of Channel Marker Foundation and he has served in some capacity on both boards for 32 years.

Representing all areas of human services and business, members of both boards are established leaders and representatives of our community. Senator Addie Eckardt was elected to the position of Vice Chair. Involved with Channel Marker since its inception, she has actively supported efforts to provide and maintain psychiatric rehabilitation programming in the Mid-Shore area.

John McQuaid, previous chair of Channel Marker, Inc. and long-term advocate, will assume the role of immediate past Chair. Milton Nagel will continue to serve as Treasurer and Katie Parks will continue as Secretary. Cathy Cassell, appointed as Executive Director in 2020, will assume the title of CEO of Channel Marker, Inc.

“Channel Marker has accomplished great success in the past 40 years and as we move forward into the next 40 years, we remain committed to serving the mental health needs of our community, said Chairman Rowe. With our dedicated staff and board of directors we continue to be a leader in providing mental health services” he concluded.

Over the past 40 years, Channel Marker has continually expanded its scope of services to the communities’ most vulnerable population. Providing wellness and prevention services to adults and children with a behavioral health diagnosis, Channel Marker continues to increase its presence and expand its services to meet the growing needs in our community.

Services range from an intensive residential program with overnight supervision, to individualized services designed to help clients succeed in the workplace, to afterschool and summer programs for children. Opening soon, a new Residential Crisis Bed service will expand Channel Marker’s ability to meet the needs of individuals seeking stabilization through acute, non-emergency crisis support services.

Says Cassell, CEO, “Channel Marker has been my life’s work and it is both an honor and a privilege to work alongside some of the most compassionate and dedicated staff and board members through my 31 years with the agency. I genuinely believe in our mission, and it is my pledge to the clients we serve to continue to provide services that help them live their healthiest and happiest lives.”

“Caring for people is our business — people in our community, people in our workforce, and all the people we are fortunate to serve,” says Cassell.

Channel Marker will host a 40th Anniversary Celebration which will highlight the Debra P. Jackson Regional Wellness Center building dedication and an overview of its Crisis Center “The Bridge” at Channel Marker on Friday, November 18, 2022, 4pm-6pm, 8865 Glebe Park Drive, Easton, MD. Please call 410.822.4619 to rsvp.

For 40 years, Channel Marker has improved the lives of individuals on the Mid-Shore living with severe and persistent mental health challenges.  Founded in 1982, Channel Marker continues to strengthen the community by providing excellent mental health and wellness support services, through prevention programs, rehabilitation, and community services enhancing the quality of life for individuals in our community.  Channel Marker’smental health and wellness support services are widely recognized across three Mid-Shore Maryland Counties (Talbot, Caroline, and Dorchester) as a valued community asset.

During its 40^th anniversary, Channel Marker will be adding Residential Crisis Beds to its line of mental health and wellness support services to address the needs of individuals who are seeking stabilization through acute, non-emergent crisis support services.  Recognizing the pressing need for a less traumatic alternative to psychiatric hospitalization on the Mid-Shore, Channel Marker is nearing the completion of an eight-bed crisis facility within its Glebe Park Drive headquarters in Easton. Currently the nearest similar crisis facilities are located in Somerset and Anne Arundel Counties, leaving a dearth of treatment options in Talbot, Caroline, and Dorchester Counties. When complete, this new facility will allow faster access to appropriate, therapeutic care and ease the burden on local hospitals.  To learn more about Channel Marker’snew Residential Crisis Beds service visit www.channelmarker.org/crisis-beds or call 410.822.4619.

Channel Marker has also launched a $250K Caroline Youth Center Capital Campaign helping Caroline County children, ages 5 to 18, in the new Caroline Youth Center in Denton.  Serving youth who have been diagnosed with a wide variety of mental health challenges, this youth center is the latest addition to the three-acre campus that also includes three supervised residences and an adult wellness center. Formerly the Caroline Hospice House, the Caroline Youth Center is a friendly and comfortable setting for interactive activities that mirror the work and play experience in which children struggle to cope.  At the Caroline Youth Center, youth clients will find hope for a bright future and lifelong wellness.  To learn more about Channel Marker’sCaroline Youth Center Capital Campaign visit www.channelmarker.org/caroline-youth-campaign or call 410.822.4619.

Mission

The mission of Channel Marker is to create a healthy Mid-Shore community by providing mental illness treatment and prevention programs, wellness support, and community services to individuals and their families.

Humble Beginnings

Channel Marker, Inc.’s articles of incorporation were signed on March 2, 1982.  The beginnings of Channel Marker came from the deinstitutionalization movement and the clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation. Some of the early work on this came out of New York with the Fountain House, and from Boston University with their Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. There was advocacy to help people with a serious mental illness to rejoin society and maintain their place in it. The idea was to build on people’s strengths, and provide support and training.

In 1981, there was an initiative started by the Talbot County Health Department. The original proposals wanted to give people more than what they were getting at the traditional clinic services. Susan Bishop, a social worker, was loaned from Eastern Shore Hospital Center to work on this proposal with Dr. Grobler, the Community Liaison Officer. Susan would later become very involved with Channel Marker as both a board member and a strong advocate for our clients, called “members” at that time.

Susan’s proposal was accepted in October of 1981. She served as a consultant on this project and assisted with hiring of the first staff.

Channel Marker started with rented space in local Churches. Dr. Grobler suggested the name of Channel Marker as a sign of helping people to find their way back to recovery. Clients were instrumental in designing the first logo.

The first budget to be submitted to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was for $117,237.

As they say, the rest is history. From there, programs were launched in all 3 Mid-Shore Counties as well as property owned of 4-day program facilities, 7 houses, and transportation fleet.

The most notable expansions to date are the additions of the Group Practice in 2012, Health Home in 2013, the Wellness Center in Easton in 2016, and the Caroline Youth Center in 2018, and soon to open its 7th service line with the addition of the Residential Crisis Beds.

Channel Marker is a recipient of a $600,000 grant from the Van Strum Foundation toward the construction and furnishing of a 2,650 square foot eight-bed residential Crisis Center with lounge, kitchen and access to exercise room and computer lounge all located at Channel Marker on Glebe Park Drive in Easton. The Center will serve as a much-needed alternative to psychiatric hospitalization for Mid-Shore Talbot, Dorchester, and Caroline Counties. Part of this grant will go toward an endowment fund in support of the Center.  At the request of the Van Strum Foundation and Trustees, Cecilia and Robert Nobel, the Crisis Center will be named The Bridge at Channel Marker. The Foundation worked with Channel Marker staff identifying best sources for furnishing, murals, and therapeutic photos. These sources included The Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals in Florence, Italy who generously responded and shipped 15 framed and enlarged photographs as a gift for Crisis Center bedrooms.