NEWS & NOTES

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