Cass County’s preeminent mental health agency is looking to relocate its headquarters — just a few yards away from its current premises.

Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare Network CEO Kathy Emans announced the agency is in talks to purchase the Midwest Energy building — located directly across from Woodlands’ current headquarters on M-60 in Cassopolis — during last week’s meeting of the Cass County Board of Commissioners. The agency is currently seeking grant funding to acquire the neighboring structure in hopes of closing the deal by September when Midwest plans to relocate to its new premises on Decatur Road, Emans said.

The move would allow the agency, which provides a variety of different treatment and rehabilitation services to county residents, to consolidate its operations into a single  location. Woodlands’ 71 employees are currently spread out across three buildings in Cassopolis: its main location on M-60, a facility on Austin Street and the Squires School Children Services on Center Street.

“When you work in different buildings, there are communication issues, technology issues and duplicate expenses,” Emans said.

In recent years, the agency has been dealing with a lack of space for its programs, in particular for substance abuse treatment, Emans said. During some evenings, the agency hosts three separate groups — ongoing treatment, alumni and family psycho-education — which have grown beyond capacity for its current rooms, the CEO said.

“A few times we met outside during the summer time,” she said. “Other times they have taken place in the garage. Needless to say, those are not environments conducive for treatment.”

In light of these challenges, Woodlands administrators have considered building a new facility to consolidate and expand its footprint.

However, the Cass County Economic Development Corporation recently reached out to Emans with another solution for her dilemma — purchasing the existing Midwest Energy facility across the road.

The energy cooperative is currently building a new facility for its operations at the corner of M-60 and Decatur Road, and the company is slated to relocate to the new center in the fall, Emans said.

Woodlands has worked with Midwest in recent weeks to work out a deal for the purchase. To help pay for the acquisition, the agency is seeking grant money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and has continued working with the CCEDC and other area agencies for support, Emans said.

“I am pretty confident we will be able to obtain USDA funding,” she said. “They have funded several projects, including one of my affiliate partners in Berrien County.”

Once Woodlands closes the purchase, the agency will have to make several renovations to prepare the space for its treatment and other programs, the CEO said. The agency is hoping to have the building up and running by the following fall, Emans added.

“We are excited about the opportunity,” Emans said. “It is a little overwhelming, but it should be a great move for our consumers. Just looking at some of our preliminary expenses, that even with the purchase and renovations, our monthly expenses will probably be reduced from what they are now.”