The Involved Consumer Action Network (ICAN) in Lancaster was founded on July 26, 1988 by Nancy Glusker and Wendy Wood. It began after Mark Davis, the director of I-CAN of Pennsylvania, came to Lancaster to talk to mental health consumers about starting their own group. His job was to travel around the state encouraging consumers to work together and form self-help organizations. The first meetings were in the basement of the First United Methodist Church at Duke and Walnut Streets.

ICAN has always been run for and by persons with mental illness living in Lancaster County. The board of directors is made up of ICAN members, with mental health histories, who have been elected by the general membership. The staff is hired by the board. ICAN is unique in Lancaster, and much of Pennsylvania, because it is run primarily by people who have experienced mental illness.

In July of 2008 we will celabrate 20 years of serving the community of Lancaster County. We were founded by and comtinue to be run by truely dedicated people who want to make a positive difference in the lives of those we serve and the community as a whole.
Our longer version history is currently several pages in length and I hope many more pages will be added by those in the future.
Thanks to all who have made this possible. HN