NEWS & NOTES

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