From Deep Roots, We Rise Up
Founded in 1850 in response to Milwaukee’s cholera epidemic, Wellpoint Care Network has spent over 170 years evolving alongside the families and communities we serve.
1850s-1940s
From Orphanage to Residential Care
- As the orphan population declined, both organizations reimagined their purpose
- Facilities transitioned from orphanages into residential care homes for boys
- Provided structured shelter and meeting children’s fundamental needs across generations
- A long track record of adapting to community need, not resting on past approaches
1950s-1980
A Whole-Child Model Emerges
- First major reimagining of care: therapeutic treatment introduced into residential settings
- Shift from custodial care to therapeutic treatment for boys with emotional and mental health challenges
- Recognition that children needed healing, not just housing
- Laid the groundwork for the evidence-based, trauma-informed work that would follow
1980s-2006
A Merged Organization, Broader Mission
- Milwaukee Orphan’s Asylum (Lakeside) and St. Aemilian’s merged into St. Aemilian-Lakeside, expanding the mission beyond facilities
- Grew to include community-based mental health, in-home family services, and foster care
- Care evolved from serving children to nurturing entire families — shifting focus from crisis response to prevention
- Helped define the community-based care model that is now standard practice in the field
2007-2016
SaintA & Trauma Informed Care
- Rebranded as SaintA to reflect an evolved identity and expanded scope
- Adopted Trauma Informed Care (TIC) as the foundation of all services
- Recognized that healing required addressing historical and generational trauma — launched the Historical Trauma Workgroup in 2015
- Committed to transforming entire child- and family-serving systems, not just individual outcomes
2017-2019
Taking the Model Nationwide
- Launched consulting and training services to bring the TIC model to organizations across the country
- Reached over 80,000 professionals through training programs nationwide
- Closed all residential units — fully committing to community-based care over institutional care
2020-Now
Wellpoint Care Network
- .headIn 2020, on our 170th anniversary, began transforming the Capitol Drive campus into a community anchor institution
- In 2022, launched our new name: Wellpoint Care Network — reflecting our evolution and commitment to wellness
- Ongoing investment in trauma-informed models and training that multiply our impact across systems nationwide
- Continued commitment to equitable care and addressing root causes of family crisis
- As long as Milwaukee’s children, families, and communities need healing — we will be here
