Our History
The Mental Health Association of Kentucky (MHAKY) was incorporated in 1951 as the Kentucky Association for Mental Health to promote mental health, prevent mental illnesses, and improve the care and treatment of persons with a mental illness. Its founding members and early supporters included Dr. Spafford Ackerly, Dr. William Keller, Barry Bingham, Sr., Dr. Arthur Kasey, Dr. Frank Gaines, Dr. Harold McPheeters and Cornelia Serpell.
In 1951, Governor Wetherby responded to the urgings of the MHAKY and agreed to create a separate government agency, the Department of Mental Health, focused on caring for people with a mental illness. Governor Wetherby was prompted by a survey of state hospitals and the resulting reporting of the survey results in newspapers. The survey was undertaken by the MHAKY, under the guidance of Barry Bingham, Sr. and Dr. Spafford Ackerly.
In 1964, the Kentucky Association for Mental Health (later renamed the Mental Health Association of Kentucky) affiliated with the National Association for Mental Health, which is now called the National Mental Health Association (NMHA).
The MHAKY sponsored, served on advisory councils, funded, and published Pattern for Change in 1966, which provided the infrastructure for comprehensive mental health care in every region of the state. In 1972, Survey of Mental Health Needs in Kentucky was made public, and Blueprint for Mental Health in Kentucky was published in 1979.
