NEWS & NOTES

When inmates with a history of mental illness are released from the Douglas County Jail, they don’t have to go back into the world without help. Or without a plan. The reentry program at the jail includes a staff person from the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center who works with inmates who have mental health issues before they are released, so they are better prepared to transition back into society. “It’s basically like case management,” said Sharon Zehr, who oversees

As a therapist, Heather Davis hears a lot of different stories, and they’re all unique. But there’s a common theme: Trauma. “Trauma is so common,” said Davis, an Adult Services therapist at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “It’s rare to have someone come in who doesn’t have some degree of trauma.” Davis described trauma as any traumatic incident, from a car accident to being a victim of a violent act. “Trauma impacts all of us,” she said. “There are different levels

Frances Rico believes it is important to practice what she preaches. Rico, who during the school year is a mental health clinician at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School, spends her summers working with youth to help them understand the connection between physical health and mental health. Rico is a member of the WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) team at Bert Nash, a collaborative program with the Lawrence School District that places a master’s-level cl

During the past three years, more than 1,600 people have attended a Discover Bert Nash event — a community outreach program that highlights stories about people whose lives have been changed through services they received at the mental health center. At each of the more than 100 Discover Bert Nash events that have been held, one of the recovery stories that is shared involves WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities), a program that places a mental health clinicia

For a long time, Sean Sullivan was missing something in his life. Hope. He found it at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “I really owe it to Bert Nash for giving me that hope,” he said. “If it weren’t for Bert Nash, I don’t know where I would be.” Sullivan grew up knowing he was different; he just didn’t know why. “I always felt sort of socially isolated and like I didn’t belong,” he said. “I was kind of awkward growing up and not accepted by my peers. So I always