News & Notes

Jeree Catlin, Endowment Board Chair: Why is it important to you to support the Bert Nash Center financially? In normal years, providing financial support for Bert Nash provides both seed money for new services as well as support for enriching current services. But this year, with the quarantine, endowment and financial support have been even more critical in providing much needed operating funds. Ongoing support will be especially important going forward so that we can expand

Congratulations, Sara Godinez, the 2020 recipient of the Sandra Shaw Spirit Award, the highest award a Bert Nash Center staff member can receive. The presentation was conducted during a virtual all-staff meeting in September. She was joined by her husband, Mike, and their son, Alex. “There have been lots of highs and lots of lows this past year and lots of anxiety and stress. But there have been plenty of high points and one thing for sure, this pandemic has made me very grat

The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has been here for Douglas County for 70 years. We celebrated on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 by hosting a virtual at-home fundraising breakfast. The online program helped us raise unrestricted funds that will shape and improve the delivery of mental health services we offer to children, families, and adults in Douglas County. A special thank-you to our sponsors who, without their generous support, this virtual event would not be pos

Dear Friends, As we look back on this year, we can acknowledge it has been a year of adversity. Yet, resiliency has been the pillar for us to stand on. Because of the pandemic, we face a mental health crisis unlike any we have seen before, where anxiety and depression are affecting our community at higher rates while the resources of those needing help have diminished or disappeared entirely. As the economic impact of Covid-19 stretches into the future, we are seeing an incre

Friends of the Bert Nash Center, On December 1, millions of people will come together to help non-profit organizations through financial contributions and social awareness. Will you join us? The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center will be participating in GivingTuesday 2020, and we need YOUR help! Here’s how you can get ready to help: 1. Mark your calendar. GivingTuesday is December 1, 2020. Keep an eye on your inbox for more details as the day gets closer! Make sure

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