News & Notes

Today’s 50th anniversary of the signing of the Community Mental Health Act is reason to celebrate. There have been significant advances in making mental health services more accessible in local communities over the past five decades. But the occasion is also a reminder of how we have fallen short in realizing the vision President Kennedy had when he signed the landmark act on Oct. 31, 1963. There is much work to be done. President Kennedy was the first president to make a maj

Bert Nash, the man, as well as the mental health center that bears his name, are forever linked to the Lawrence Kiwanis Club. Cindy Hart is now part of that history. In 1937, Bert Nash, who was 38 at the time, served as president of the local Kiwanis Club, which was the first in Kansas. The chapter was started in 1919. Seventy-six years after Nash was Kiwanis president, Hart, who is development director at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, has followed in his foot

Wendy Karpowitz was done working for the day. But she wasn’t done talking about Bert Nash. Not when given the opportunity. Karpowitz, a case manager with Bert Nash’s SEED (support employment education development) team, was going through the checkout line one night recently at Target when the woman working the register asked Karpowitz about the monogramed logo on her jacket. “What’s Bert Nash?” the woman asked. Karpowitz, who was wearing her new black fleece with the blue Ber

Bert Nash offers the most comprehensive range of mental health services in Douglas County. But clients may not be aware of all the various services and how they could benefit from them. That’s where a new program — ITS (Intermediate Treatment Services) — can help. “We want to educate people about the Center and what it has to offer,” said Joshua Reese, a Bert Nash crisis clinical case manager who leads the new group. “This started mainly for people with depression, but we app

They don’t fight fires. But they know all about putting them out. They are the staff members of the Bert Nash Access Center. “We are often described as the fire department of Bert Nash,” said Sherry Demarest, who is the Access Center team leader. “We’re kind of the jack-of-all trades. If someone doesn’t know what to do with a client, they call the Access Center.” The Access Center is the entry point for all clients coming to Bert Nash for services, including those in crisis.

As a teacher, Brad Taylor is focused on imparting as much knowledge as he can to his students. He has one more goal. “I want to make them smile,” he said. Something he likes to do himself. “Brad always has a smile on his face,” said Lanell Finneran, a teacher in the Secondary Therapeutic Classroom at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “It’s obvious he loves teaching. He is dedicated to enriching the lives of his students.” Taylor is a new teacher in the Secondary T

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center hosted a safety awareness training program today, co-sponsored by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The training program was established in memory of Teri Mathis Zenner, who was a social worker and University of Kansas graduate student. She was killed by a client during a home visit in 2004.

When the lights have been turned off, the doors locked, and the staff at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has gone home, there are mental health professionals still on duty. One of those groups is the after-hours screeners. “This team is an extension of our daytime Access Center and has all the necessary administrative backup required to support their work,” said Eunice Ruttinger, Bert Nash adult services director. The primary responsibility of the after-hours scr

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

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. At least so the saying goes. For a hoarder, it may all seem like treasure. That’s the problem. “They have a hard time distinguishing if something is of value,” said Loraine Herndon, “To them, it all looks valuable. That’s a classic characteristic of many hoarders. They see value in things that other people would not.” That’s when things can become a problem, and those things can take over a person’s life … and home. “Hoarding makes ho

A sendoff party for former Bert Nash staffer and Mrs. Kansas Elizabeth Stephens was held August 17th at the Lawrence Community Shelter. Stephens, who is the family programs director at the shelter, will compete in the Mrs. America pageant this month in Tucson, Ariz. The preliminary competition will be Aug. 26 with the finals on Aug. 28. Stephens is competing to raise awareness for poverty and homelessness. “It’s all about the work we do and advocating for others,” she said.

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