Rosecrance Jackson Centers marks 50 years of behavioral health care

Rosecrance Jackson Centers marked its 50th anniversary on September 10, 2026, with a celebration recognizing decades of providing behavioral health services to individuals and families across Siouxland.

The event, held in partnership with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce’s Rush Hour Connect, brought together current and former staff members, community partners, supporters, and leaders to reflect on the organization’s history and its future.

Rosecrance Jackson Centers began in August 1976 as Gordon Chemical Dependency Center, Iowa’s first treatment program focused on adolescents with substance use disorders and their families. Dr. William “Bill” Jackson and his wife, Marienne, founded the program.

The organization later became St. Luke’s Gordon Recovery Centers, Gordon Recovery Centers, and Jackson Recovery Centers. In 2019, it joined Rosecrance Behavioral Health and became Rosecrance Jackson Centers.

“Fifty years is an extraordinary milestone, and tonight is really a celebration of 50 years of purpose,” said Julie Enockson, president of Rosecrance Jackson Centers.

Enockson said the organization’s name and services have changed over the years, but its mission has remained consistent.

“Our purpose has remained remarkably constant: to offer help, restore hope, and provide a path to lasting recovery,” she said.

Today, Rosecrance Jackson Centers provides mental health and substance use services to individuals and families throughout Siouxland and beyond.

Enockson said the organization’s history is defined by the people who have sought care, provided services, and supported its work.

“It is the generations of individuals and families whose lives have been changed by recovery,” she said. “It is the staff members who have dedicated their careers to this work. And it is the board members, community leaders, donors, partners and advocates who believed in this organization and made its work possible.”

Dr. Dave Gomel, CEO of Rosecrance Behavioral Health, said the organization’s longstanding relationship with the Siouxland community is an important part of its work.

“Behavioral health care is, and always will be, local,” Gomel said. “It depends on trust. And that trust isn’t created by an organization’s name or its size. It is earned over time, person by person, and family by family.”

Gomel said Rosecrance’s 2019 partnership with Jackson Recovery Centers brought together Rosecrance’s resources and expertise with the organization’s established relationships and history in Siouxland.

Gomel also highlighted the broader community impact of behavioral health services, sharing a reflection from Jackson’s former CEO Kermit Dahlen. Dahlen imagined what it would look like if everyone touched by the organization’s services wore a shirt identifying that connection.

“We would see them everywhere — doctors, nurses, teachers, tradespeople, therapists, ministers, neighbors and friends,” Gomel said. “That is what 50 years of behavioral health care looks like. Its impact ripples through families, workplaces, neighborhoods and generations.”

Enockson said Rosecrance Jackson Centers will continue building on that foundation as it works to expand access to behavioral health care and respond to the needs of the community.

“We are incredibly proud of our first 50 years and excited about what comes next,” Enockson said.