News & Notes

Douglas County is deeply honored to receive the Pioneer Award from its longtime partner Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. Commissioners and administrative staff are committed to helping those who struggle with mental illness and substance abuse in our community. Through community partnerships — such as our partnership with Bert Nash — we can truly make a significant difference in supporting our most vulnerable community members. In recent years, Douglas County has lea

Schools are in the business of educating students. But a student’s mental well-being can interfere with that learning process. A lot of things in their personal lives can spill into their educational life -- for instance, if they are finding it hard to keep up with the curriculum, no matter the age, and they don’t have access to the books they need, as well as tap into free educational assistance online. Again, this doesn’t cover the root of the problem and kids need to know

Patrick Kelly will be the first to admit he’s not the touchy-feely type. “In my family, we weren’t huggers,” Patrick said. “We sat around and read books and tried to outsmart each other.” But Patrick, who is director of the Lawrence College and Career Center and is a Douglas County commissioner, has come a long way in his emotional journey. A starting point for him was when his step-daughter, who was in high school at the time, was struggling. “We were at a complete loss,” sa

Bert Nash Center was honored and proud to have the WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) team meet with Steve Maceli, Brandon Eisman, and Tasha Foster for a check presentation and to share how the $10,000 prize Steve earned as the winning contestant in the Transformations Charity Gala 2019 will impact students and families for years to come. WRAP is a Bert Nash school-based mental health program where — working in partnership with Lawrence and Eudora Public Sc

Statistically speaking, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth are at a disproportionate risk for depression, suicide, and substance abuse. They also can feel isolated, alienated or bullied. A new LGBT group for youth was started in the summer of 2017 at the Bert Nash Center to provide a support system so teenagers have a safe place to talk. Bert Nash also offers a support group for transgender adults. “That was the motivation for the group, just kids needing a s

Rachel Monger met David Johnson, former Bert Nash CEO, several years ago at an advocacy fellowship program they both participated in through the Sunflower Foundation. She went up to him afterward and told him that Bert Nash was there for her when she needed it, and if there was anything she could do for the Center, to let her know. “Never one to waste an opportunity, not long after that he asked if I would be on the Endowment Board,” Monger said. Monger has served on the Bert

Since the program was initiated 20 years ago, WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) has impacted hundreds if not thousands of Lawrence students and their families. But due to confidentiality reasons, some of the program’s greatest successes can be difficult to measure, or even discussed publicly. One thing is certain, WRAP saves lives. “It absolutely does, all the time,” said Susan Chase, the team leader of the WRAP program. WRAP is a groundbreaking Bert Nash

When asked about the best job he ever had, David Johnson didn’t hesitate. “This job,” Johnson said. “Absolutely, this job.” This job may well be the last one he will ever have. After 17 years as CEO of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Johnson, 65, will retire around the first of July. His successor, Patrick Schmitz, will start the first of June. There were many reasons why this was the best job Johnson ever had, he said. For one, the people and the organization.

Charlie Kuszmaul, who retired in November, spent 25 years on staff at the Bert Nash Center. For most of that time — 19 years, to be exact — he was the driving force behind a program that places a mental health therapist in Douglas County schools. Known as WRAP, which stands for Working to Recognize Alternative possibilities, the in-school therapy program has touched the lives of “probably 10,000 kids” over the past nearly 20 years, said Kuszmaul, who joined the Bert Nash Cent

School's out, and that means its time for the Bert Nash Summer Program. The program, called Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds, will run from June 7th to July 28th and will involve about 75 kids. It’s a lifesaver for parents who struggle to fill their children’s time with fun and interesting activities during the summer holidays, and it can teach them important life skills. "We have a lot of kids this year," said Rhonda Stubbs, who oversees the program and leads the group for eleme

Frances Rico believes it is important to practice what she preaches. Rico, who during the school year is a mental health clinician at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, spends her summers working with youth to help them understand the connection between physical health and mental health. Rico is a member of the WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) team at Bert Nash, a collaborative program with the Lawrence School District that places a master’s-level cl

During the past three years, more than 1,600 people have attended a Discover Bert Nash event — a community outreach program that highlights stories about people whose lives have been changed through services they received at the mental health center. At each of the more than 100 Discover Bert Nash events that have been held, one of the recovery stories that is shared involves WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities), a program that places a mental health clinicia

May is Mental Health Month, and as the month winds down, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center shares a few success stories of client recovery. Jackie Lira and TJ Reyes Jackie Lira knew something wasn’t right. She just didn’t know what it was. Or why. “I essentially wanted to jump out of my own skin,” she said. “And I couldn’t fix it." A couple of months earlier, Jackie and TJ Reyes’ son, Deacon, had been born premature. He arrived 10 weeks early and weighed only 2 pounds.

When Don Grosdidier retires June 30, he will certainly have left his mark. Not only on the school district, which he has been part of for 28 years, but on the Eudora community, which he has been part of for much longer. More than brick-and-mortar projects, and there have been plenty of those during Grosdidier’s tenure, his proudest accomplishment will be the students who go on to lead healthy, happy and productive lives. One program that had a life-changing impact on students

Bert Nash psychiatrist Joe Douglas gave a presentation recently for Ecumenical Christian Ministries at the University of Kansas. He began his talk in a rather unorthodox manner. He opened with a song he wrote. “A lot of the songs I’ve written make a political point, but do it by way of satire,” said Douglas, who has been a member of a politically activist singing group called The New World Order Peace Choir. The message of Douglas’ song was clear: The economic recession was

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s new director of Child and Family Services is a familiar face. Christina Mann, a former Bert Nash WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) team leader, was announced Thursday as the Center’s new Child and Family Services director. “Christina brings strong leadership, clinical and partnership skills to the Center,” said Patricia Roach Smith, Bert Nash chief operating officer, who announced Mann’s hiring. Mann is excited ab

Students are starting a new school year, and so is Frances Rico. She is the new WRAP worker at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School. WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) is a Bert Nash program that goes where the students are — in the schools. “WRAP is an extra support link for the kids, staff and family members that targets anything from struggles at home, to peer interactions, skill building and crisis interventions,” Rico said. “Through the program, stud

There has actually been a decrease in the number of children using services at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. “We’re seeing about a 20 percent decrease in the number of kids coming in for services,” said Janice Storey, director of Child and Family Services at Bert Nash. “But the acuity is much higher. They are in a much higher level of crisis when they get here. Sometimes our first point of contact with kids is a screeni

Eudora’s school superintendent lauded funding that will extend Bert Nash’s WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) program for another year in all three of the community’s schools. The WRAP workers in Eudora are Carla DeHetre (middle school), Amy Brown (high school) and Elizabeth Day (elementary school). WRAP workers are master’s-level mental health clinicians who work collaboratively with school counselors, teachers and administrators. “WRAP is a critical compo

It took awhile to see the results, but the fruit of Jake Keary’s labor is starting to show. And later this spring, the evidence should be in full bloom. To earn his Eagle Scout community service merit badge, Jake took on a landscaping project for the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. Jake’s mom, Deb, is a Bert Nash clinician. Deb is an on-site therapist at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School as part of the Bert Nash WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilit