News & Notes

Trauma-informed care is more than just a different approach to behavioral and mental health care. It is a totally new way of doing things. “Trauma-informed care is a concept, a way of thinking that informs actions,” said Julia Gaughan, who serves as the point person for this agency-wide effort at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “It is a cultural shift with how we all work together as an agency and how we work with the people we serve.” Trauma-informed care grew

Solutions to community problems have to start somewhere. Agencies that are participating in an upcoming housing event hope that starts with a conversation. The event – Housing in Lawrence and Douglas County: A Public/Private Partnership – will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. September 13th at the Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania Street. Mathew Faulk, housing program manager for the Bert Nash Center, said the goal of the event is to develop relationships with property managers and owner

In its nearly 70-year history, the Bert Nash Center has witnessed many changes and challenges. But one thing remains constant: our commitment to our core values of compassion, integrity and equity, on a foundation of hope. Those values are at the very heart of what we do, and they always will be. Seven therapists from the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team submitted their resignations July 16. But it is business as usual at the center: We are focused on the welfare of ou

At the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, we work with our community partners to ensure our clients have the best service provider for their specific needs, including those providers not directly employed by or affiliated with the Bert Nash Center. For more than 68 years, we have coordinated services to provide a seamless array of care. Per our history, Bert Nash treatment teams helped clients determine the best course of treatment and provider for their specific needs

Elizabeth Day, a Child and Family Services team leader for the Bert Nash Center, stopped by Patrick Schmitz’s office this week. She wanted to deliver a message to the Bert Nash CEO in person. “I said that I am glad and proud that he is here,” said, Day, who has been a WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) in-school therapist for seven years and a Child and Family Services team leader for four years. “I profoundly appreciate his vision of agency excellence, his

Julie Berndsen, lead waiver facilitator, is the 2018 recipient of the Sandra Shaw Spirit Award. The award, named for the late Bert Nash CEO, is the highest honor a Bert Nash employee can receive. Julie’s parents, Dennis and Debbie, were on hand for the presentation. Congratulations, Julie!

If you ask Jean Milstead how she ended up serving on some board or getting involved with some organization, she has a common response. “Because of my friend Shirley Martin Smith.” Milstead and Smith first met in 1976. They’ve been friends ever since. “When I met Shirley, I immediately felt like I added a new member to my family,” Milstead said. “We share the same values and work ethic, but more importantly, we share a love and respect for people and a desire to see them be su

Bridges, the Bert Nash Center transitional home, received a makeover, thanks to a grant from the Douglas County Community Foundation. Bridges team leader Rachel Neill and lead residential case manager Eddie Velez recently gave a tour of the remodeled space. Neill said the revamped space, which included new flooring and furnishings, is intended to be functional, inspirational and therapeutic. Neill also gave a shout-out to Classic Painting (retired teachers), Commercial Floor

Being a kid can be tough. Stephen O’Neill knows from personal experience. O’Neill’s struggles growing up and the help he received not only shaped the person he is today but inspired him to pursue a career where he could help children and families. That career path brought him to the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, where O’Neill is the new director of Child and Family Services. He began his duties June 11. “This just felt like a really good fit for me,” O’Neill said.

On Monday, June 11, 2018, senior leadership from five individual agencies (Bert Nash Center, DCCCA, Heartland Community Health Center, Heartland RADAC and Lawrence Memorial Hospital) met with a diverse group of community members who support improvements in our health and human services system. We thank them for taking the time to meet with us. The individual healthcare agencies are committed to the working relationships developed among these five entities over these past 18 m

Douglas County is continuing its efforts to reduce the number of people who have serious mental illnesses (SMI) in the local criminal justice system by launching an intensive data-driven project in conjunction with The Council of State Governments Justice Center. Douglas County will receive intensive technical assistance from the national nonprofit to help them answer core questions about how many people with mental illnesses enter their jail, what their average length of sta

Julia Gaughan was looking on the Bert Nash Center website for information about upcoming dates for Mental Health First Aid classes when something caught her eye. A job listing for a new position – Mental Health First Aid training supervisor. “I read through the job description and I thought, I don’t have all of those qualifications,” Gaughan said. But the more she thought about it, she thought she would be a good fit. “I facilitate groups all the time, and training is what I