News & Notes

Bert Nash Center CEO Patrick Schmitz announced that Amalia Mendez will be the organization’s new Human Resources director. She will start her new duties Nov. 23. “Amalia will be a great addition,” Patrick said. “We are excited for her to join the Bert Nash Center team.” Amalia lives in Lawrence. She began her career in HR in 2009, with the Kansas Organization of State Employees in Topeka. Since 2017, she has been area human resources manager with Securitas Security Services i

Michelle, a master’s student in geology at the University of Kansas, figured she could handle things by herself. “I’m very stubborn,” she said. “For a long time, I thought I could do it on my own. That I could deal with the struggles I was going through.” Until she couldn’t. “I had a mental health crisis, and I finally accepted that,” Michelle said. “I needed help immediately. But I didn’t know how to get help.” That’s when she reached out to the Bert Nash Community Mental He

A virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony for Transitions, hosted by the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and Douglas County, will take place on Friday, November 20, 2020. The event will be livestreamed on the Bert Nash Center Facebook page at facebook.com/ bertnashcenter. Transitions is part of the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County. The campus will provide services and housing for individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and addiction c

Nicole Stafford can’t wait to get started in her new role as director of Child and Family Services at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. For Stephen O’Neill, Bert Nash Center Chief Operations Officer, the feeling is mutual. “I am particularly excited about bringing Nicole into our organization because of her extensive experience in the Kansas Community Mental Health Center system. She has done nearly every job within a Child and Family department and will bring a t

The Bert Nash Center Homeless Outreach Team is seeking donations for the Woody Park campsite. Needed items include: First Aid products, hygiene products such as conditioner, shampoo and deodorant, laundry soap, toilet paper and paper towels, thermal coffee cups and water bottles, socks/gloves/stocking caps, and hand sanitizer. Donations can dropped off at the Bert Nash Center, 200 Maine Street, Suite A. Financial donations can be made at https://bertnash.org/donate/ For FAQs

Adapting and adjusting has always been part of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s modus operandi. That is never more true than during a pandemic. “The pandemic has certainly had an impact on how we provide services,” said Bert Nash Center CEO Patrick Schmitz. “Because of Covid-19, people are experiencing longer delays in starting services, but we still aspire to having open access.” Open access refers to the hours of the day that members of the community can walk

During the pandemic, the number of people in Lawrence who are experiencing homelessness has grown. With winter coming, that number as well as the need for food and shelter will only increase, say members of the Bert Nash Center Homeless Outreach Team, who are making sure that they have everything they need in place, in order to support those who are in their care through this often challenging time. And the rest of those who had jobs had to work remotely, which was mentally d

Kim Brook had never equated her mental health with her physical health. That is, until she started having difficulty managing the stress in her life. “Before, I would think my mental health would take care of itself,” Kim said. “I grew up thinking that mental health was a separate issue from physical health. But I found out if I don’t take care of my mental health, things won’t get better on their own.” Relationships, life changes, a stressful job, it all added up. Kim was st

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and Lawrence Public Schools have a long history of collaboration to promote the mental wellbeing of students. A shining example is the WRAP program. WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) is an in-school therapy program that was started in 1997 and continues to thrive today. WRAP is a groundbreaking program where the Bert Nash Center — in partnership with Lawrence Public Schools and other Douglas County schools — assigns

Whether virtually or in person, Bert Nash Center’s Medical Services Team is here to help. “We are available for people to get help, via phone, or video as well as in person,” said Dr. Timothy McCord, Medical Services psychiatrist. During a pandemic, with so many stressors in people’s lives such as job loss, loss of insurance, and remote learning challenges, the Medical Services team’s services may be needed now even more than ever. Even though most medical insurance companies

Dale Beaulieu had been through graduation ceremonies before. This one was different. And not just because it was conducted via Zoom. This graduation was the most meaningful. Dale is a recent graduate of the Douglas County Behavioral Health Court (BHC). The program, started in 2017, connects defendants who have a serious mental illness to community support services — including social workers, case managers and peer support — with the goal of reducing their return to custody. T

Mar Lan Construction provided a tour on August 19th for staff and community partners involved in Transitions and The Cottages, two housing projects on the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County. The campus will provide services and housing for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. The Cottages are apartments owned and operated by the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and will serve up to 10 clients who have been diagnosed with a

Tina Rosenthal, Governing Board chair What is the best thing about being a Bert Nash board member? The best thing about being a Bert Nash board member is the people I have the privilege to serve with. I have met a lot of wonderful individuals, employees as well as fellow volunteers, while serving on the board. It has been both refreshing and exciting to work with a group of people who are equally as passionate as I am about the stability of mental health services for our comm

Ever since the Community Health Facility at 200 Maine Street opened in 1999 and until earlier this year, city employee Dale Seele was the building manager. During that time, he became a friend and honorary staff member of all three agencies that call the building home: Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, and Visiting Nurses Association. On the 20th anniversary of the building in 2019, the first-floor meeting room was named the Dale

Even though she is a teenager, there have been times when Rebecca has had the responsibilities of someone much older. When her grandmother was sick, she was the caregiver. When her mother was incarcerated, she was the grownup. Now she can focus on being a daughter. “I had to make a lot of adult decisions when my mom was gone,” Rebecca said. “When my mom first got out, she saw me as the little kid she had left behind. But I wasn’t that person anymore. It took us awhile, but we

Note: September is Suicide Awareness Prevention Month. Anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide should call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 or (785) 841-2345. As soon as they received the text message, they knew. And in that moment, everything changed. Forever. I want you all to know I love you. It’s my time to leave. Thank you so much for being such a supportive and loving family. I’m sorry I have to do this. I have been planning this for a whil

If a program could help reduce hospital and emergency room visits and also improve a person’s overall mental and physical health, what’s not to like? That program is OneCare Kansas. OneCare Kansas provides extra support for those who have a serious health condition and are part of KanCare, the program that administers Medicaid for the state of Kansas. Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center is a OneCare Kansas partner in Douglas County, along with Heartland Community Health

If you have a family member or friend who deals with a mental illness, and you would like to have a better understanding of their illness so you can better relate and help them, here is an opportunity to get that education. “Family to Family” is a series of twelve weekly classes structured to help people understand and support a family member or friend who is dealing with a mental illness while maintaining their own well-being. The course is taught by a team of trained volunt

Elinor Hurst has been on both sides of the mental health field. As a client and a mental health worker. It’s all part of her story. “I really enjoy sharing my story,” Elinor said. “Because I think it’s important to talk about mental health.” As a former peer support specialist for the Bert Nash Center, Elinor shared her story with others who were on their own mental health journey. “That’s what I did when I worked in peer support,” Elinor said. “My first client, when we first

Precola has dealt with mental health issues for much of her life. It’s OK, she said, to ask for help. “Your mental health is just as important as your physical health,” she said. Precola started receiving services at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center after her husband passed away in 2018. “I decided to seek help,” she said. “At first, I went to Bert Nash for crisis help and then I went to Stormont Vail in Topeka. I started going to Bert Nash regularly after that.”