Iowa Managed Care Information
Hillcrest Family Services accepts all of the Iowa Medicaid Managed Care Organizations available…
Erin and Dave
Dear Expectant Mother,It’s a testament to you that when life took an unexpected detour, you…
Weston and Anna
Hello! We are Weston and Anna. We admire the strength you have for considering placing your child…
The Truth About Tobacco Use in Movies
As you may already know, the Academy Awards are coming up on March 4th. This brings to mind the…
Health Hazards of Chew Tobacco: What You Need to Know
Here at Hillcrest, we want our clients and community to be informed with the truth around products…
3 Things to know about HPV!
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month, so we thought we would share3 things to know about HPV…
Mentoring Impacts…Mentors?
Did your New Year’s resolutions involve giving back to your community? If so, January, National…
Chad and Amy
Dear Birth Mother, Thank you for taking the time to learn about us as you make the difficult…
Jeff and Brittany
Dear Birthmother,Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to open up our hearts and lives to you…
America Saves Week: February 27 – March 4, 2017
This will be Hillcrest’s third year as a partner with America Saves Week, an annual opportunity…
Therapy Dogs Help Soothe Anxiety In Troubled Youth
Mac (5) and Isis (10) are therapy dogs that visit the Hillcrest campus residential homes and the…
Adoption: Our History and Legacy
As we come to the close of 2016, several items that have come across my desk and computer this past…
Adoption Awareness Month
There are a number of reasons people are thankful and November seems to be when people count those…
Suicide Kills
Suicide kills. Suicide kills dreams, hope, aspirations. Suicide kills relationships, warmth,…
Suicide – Start The Conversation!
I remember the first time I learned about suicide. I was in middle school and one of the boys in my…
Trauma-Sensitive School Back in Session
As the school bus doors open and the children file out, they are welcomed by a crowd of teachers,…
4 Things To Know To Be Successful
Breastfeeding Success As I work with breastfeeding women, one of the most frequent comments I hear…
Mental Health Treatment Working in South East Iowa
Wednesday June 29th Mt Pleasant News headline on the bottom of front page states“Berndt says…
The Dollars and Cents of Treating Troubled Youth
After completing my thesis at Mt Mercy University on How Parents of Autistic Children Adapt and…
A Student Art Show, Shows More Than Art
On Tuesday, May 10, 2016 students of Anna B. Lawther Academy were featured in our first annual Art…
A Month of Mental Health Awareness
It has come to my attention that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I, for one, think this is a…
Teenagers remind me of toddlers…
I find myself at a strange crossroad in my life. I am a mother of a two-year-old girl and a…
Announcing Awakenings Academy
Hillcrest Family Services Announces the Opening of Awakenings Academy, a Residential Treatment…
Does your metabolism need a boost?
March is National Nutrition Month! It is also that time of year when we start getting to enjoy more…
Through With Chew Week
More than 5 of every 100 high school students (5.5%) in the United States use smokeless tobacco…
Mentoring is Modeling
January is National Mentoring Month. It’s time when we reflect on the incredible power of the…
“Stressed Brains Can’t Learn”
In 2010, Jim Sporleder went to a conference with no idea of the impact that the information was…
There is Homelessness in Dubuque Iowa
There is homelessness in Dubuque. It’s not as visible unless you know what you are seeing. It’s…
Hillcrest and the First Lady Help Homeless Veterans
Homeless Veterans are a touchy subject, socially and politically these days. The FLOTUS, Michele…
5 Things Prospective Adoptive Couples Should Consider
Did you know that November is National Adoption Awareness Month!? Hillcrest Family Services has been…
Yoga Benefits the Body, Mind, and Spirit!
Has the topic of yoga been coming up in conversations lately? Have you wondered what all the rage…
The Missing Link
The Missing Link: How the Symptoms of Mental Health in Children and Their Educational Needs Often…
Mental Health Matters: We’re not the only ones counting!
When talking about mental health it sometimes feels like no one is listening. While millions of…
Going Back To School Can Be Difficult For LGBTQ Teens
Coming back to school from summer vacation can be challenging for students who identify as lesbian,…
What Is The Plan To Improve Mental Health Access?
“But where were the same overwhelming calls to overhaul the nation’s fragile mental health…
It’s Not Just Beating the Blues: Anna’s* Story
Major depression disorder affects about 14.8 million adults (6.7%) in the United States as reported…
The Hidden South East Corner of Hillcrest Family Services
When people hear someone talking about Hillcrest Family Services they most like start thinking…
Breast milk, the best, first food for babies!!
When I was pregnant with my first child, we knew we wanted our baby to receive breast milk because…
Adverse Childhood Experience
The Adverse Childhood Experience (commonly referred to as the ACE study) was co-authored by Dr.’s…
Mental Health is Rising to a Major Issue in Iowa and Ohio
Just as we were beginning to think the only way to have mental health become a candidate issue was…
Visits Going Up Very Fast, Comments Going Up Slowly, Contributions Not Keeping Up
Through today there have been 71 declared Presidential candidate visit days in Iowa since June 3rd.…
Candidates Can Be Engaged on Mental Health
Through one and a half months of tracking presidential candidates’ comments on mental health care,…
We miss you Tom!
Hillcrest Family Services mourns the sudden passing of Tom Gassman last evening. Words cannot…
Only 3 Mentions of Mental Health
It’s amazing to me that in one month, there have been 18 declared presidential candidates and 37…
Political Forecast Confirmed
The list of declared Presidential Candidates grew to sixteen on June 15th and the number of days…
Flag Removal: An Honorable Responsibility
It was a beautiful day to be outside, with a light breeze blowing and the sun shining; Much…
Why do Presidential Candidates Need to Talk about Mental Health?
In the 2012 Presidential Campaign the issue of mental health treatment rarely was discussed by the…
A Real Life Education: Planning for the future
A Junior Achievement Program tiptoed into one of our high school classrooms this spring, delivered…
An Adoption Story
Hillcrest Family Services is known for serving over 26,000 people in the 30+ different programs we…
Education is More Than Just Being in a Classroom
Each spring, Jeff Driscoll, our Physical Education teacher at the Anna B. Lawther Academy from…
Teen Empowerment Month
May is “Teen Empowerment Month,” a time to highlight the importance of education, access and…
Students Give Back to the Community
On Friday, April 24, 2015 thirty-two Anna B. Lawther Academy high school students, along with…
EDDIE
EXCEPTIONAL DETERMINED DEDICATED INDEPENDENT ENERGETIC All those words describe Eddie, a client at…
STI Awareness Month
Did you knowApril is Sexually transmitted infections Awareness Month? STI’s for short, are a very…
24 hour Mental Health Care: Providing Shelter during Life’s Storm
What can you do when you feel like your life is turning upside down? Who can you turn to when you…
Art Inspires Healing
Hillcrest Family Services is offering an exciting after-school program for the adolescents in…
Easter Season
Hillcrest has deep spiritual roots with the United Methodist Church since 1914 and the Presbyterian…
A Hillcrest Milestone
Hillcrest is celebrating a milestone today. March 26, 1975, a young woman started working for…
Great Women in Hillcrest’s History
Did you know that Hillcrest was founded by three instrumental women, all before women even had the…
Does your nutrition need a boost?
For me, the 40 days before Easter represent a time to reflect on myself, focus on healthy behaviors,…
You Know You Are A Social Worker If…
Did you know that March is Social Work Month? This year, the National Association of Social Workers…
Are All Four Needed?
Are Four State Mental Health Institutes Needed in Iowa? Governor Branstad proposed several weeks ago…
Meditation
Have you heard about the benefits of meditation? Research shows that individuals who meditate…
EAGLE Accreditation
Gary Gansemer, the president and CEO of Hillcrest, sent out a special announcement this week. He…
January is National Mentoring Month
January is National Mentoring Month and Mentor Dubuque is celebrating mentoring all month long. We…
Reflections in the Park 20th Anniversary
Reflections in the Park offers family friendly, entertaining escape. The hustle and bustle are…
Hillcrest celebrates 100 years of service
Dubuque Telegraph Herald October 26th, 2014 BY ERIK HOGSTROM TH STAFF WRITER Hillcrest Family…
The Demographics of Homelessness
Homelessness is a national problem with direct consequences in Iowa in general and the Dubuque in…
Breathe Easy – Hillcrest’s Tobacco Free Program is Working
Did you know that Hillcrest has a comprehensive tobacco prevention program? We sure do, and last…
Time to See a Marriage Counselor?
There are many therapists at Hillcrest who specialize in marriage counseling. This form of…
The Stigma of Mental Illness
After the tragic news regarding the life of actor and comedian Robin Williams, mental illness in…
An Interview with Michelle Watters, Director of Spiritual and Health Integration
Tell us about your education and past work experience. I have been a Licensed Mental Health…
Adoption, Technology and Social Media
News and information is all around us. We can consume information around the clock and that can be…
Did You Know Hillcrest Has a Boarding School?
Not everyone does. The Anna B. Lawther Academy serves youth who are struggling in school, coping…
Software Tools Help Students, Teachers and Parents
At Hillcrest’s Anna B. Lawther Academy, which serves both day students and boarding school…
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Considering Adoption
At Hillcrest Family Services, our Iowa-based adoption specialists are frequently asked how you know…
Meet our Chaplain, Brian Beverly III
Experience: I have spent the last 6 years as a Youth Director, Solo Pastor, International Minister…
Mentor Dubuque Going Strong. So Are the Mentors and Mentees.
All around the Dubuque area, Hillcrest’s Mentor Dubuque program is creating lasting relationships,…
Personalized Care for Barb
Barb had an accident on the bus in early January that resulted in breaking her leg and needing to go…
Meet our Chaplain, Magi Wehner
Experience: I work as an on-call hospital chaplain for ten years. I completed my Clinical Pastoral…
I Am a Witness: Reflections of God’s Grace
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a…
Hillcrest Employees Receive Governor’s Volunteer Award
LOCAL CITIZENS RECEIVE GOVERNOR’S VOLUNTEER AWARD Richard Baumgartner of Dubuque, IA and Tom…
Zakkary
Some of you may remember hearing about Zakkary a year ago. He arrived at Hillcrest after a LONG…
Hillcrest offers different learning environment
At Hillcrest, students see small classes and more 1-on-1 instruction, while teachers help them cope…