About Isaac Ray
James L. Cavanaugh, Jr, MD
Chair, President and CEO
The Isaac Ray Center, Inc.
“The Isaac Ray Center has always been entrepreneurial in spirit and approach, and unafraid to tackle difficult mental health issues. Our work with the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC) demonstrates how the public sector and the nonprofit world can work together – with outstanding results.”
“As a nonprofit provider, IRC has helped depoliticize a complex community issue, and has provided a continuum of care to young people at a lower cost to the public. We have made it our business to recruit professionals who are smart, no-nonsense, and highly devoted to the welfare of underserved youths. Our team’s pioneering approaches are ones that can serve as models to the mental health community.“
The Isaac Ray Center (IRC), based in Chicago, is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of mental health services in the juvenile justice system. A commitment to innovative approaches, compassionate counseling to youths, and the highest quality of care distinguish our work.
Because of our track record tackling some of the toughest mental health situations, IRC was asked to lead a bold new initiative with Cook County’s Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC), which provides short-term, secure housing for youths who are awaiting adjudication of their cases by the Juvenile Division of the Cook County Courts.
Helping the troubled youths at JTDC is the heart and focus of our current work. It is a challenging and exciting effort where we direct and manage all mental health services to JTDC’s approximately 300 residents. Our involvement with Cook County’s JTDC is a remarkable mental health work alliance between the public sector and a nonprofit entity.
We believe behavioral science, law, and the justice system can, and should, work together to address some of society’s most complex mental health issues. This belief has guided our 32 years of work. It’s also helped us attract a staff of more than 30 top professionals, including physicians, psychologists, advance practice nurses, mental health specialists, and licensed clinical social workers.
The IRC team works hard to understand, support, and advocate for JTDC residents. Through innovation, teamwork and creative problem-solving, IRC provides vital mental health services, continuity of care, and critical counseling to adolescents in need and crisis.