Peace River Center was founded in the late 1940s in response to the community’s concern for the emotional and psychological well-being of children. Over time, Peace River Center gradually expanded their services to include adults. A significant growth period for the Center came after the 1973 passing of the Baker Act, which is Florida’s Mental Health Act, enabling them to establish a community mental health center as an alternative to treatment at the State Hospital. In the late 1970s Peace River Center opened the first of two domestic violence shelters, and in 2013 we added a primary care Wellness Clinic. Our Lakeland Crisis Campus opened in January 2018.