Heartland Human Services is the result of the efforts of a caring and concerned community. In the 1960s, community leaders realized counseling services for mental illness and addictions treatment were lacking in rural areas.

The State of Illinois made a commitment to help communities improve their quality of life by establishing a tax levy for the support of mental health services and addictions treatment. Effingham county leaders and voters were farsighted enough to pass such a tax levy by referendum in 1969, thus providing funding for community based behavioral healthcare services. In 1970 a non-profit corporation was established under the directorship of a local board of directors to oversee the development of a full continuum of behavioral healthcare services. They named this new entity the Effingham County Mental Health Center.

Over the years Heartland Human Services has changed names and grown from its simple beginnings to provide a broad array of behavioral healthcare services. Heartland Human Services receives funding from a wide variety of state and federal sources and is accredited by The Joint Commission.