NEWS & NOTES

A new partnership between Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and DCCCA will expand access to Mental Health First Aid training across Douglas County. Since 2008, the program has equipped thousands of residents with the skills to recognize and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. Together, the organizations will increase training opportunities, strengthen outreach, and help more community members gain the tools to support others when it matters most.

Steven Snow survived decades of trauma, addiction, and a near-fatal overdose to find purpose in recovery. Now engaged in Bert Nash Center programs, he has built coping skills, embraced therapy, and begun healing from lifelong abuse. Supported by his care team, he no longer runs from his past but faces it with strength. Inspired by peer specialists, Steven aims to help others, using his story as a source of power and hope.

Security Benefit awarded the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center with a $25,000 grant to support the Judge Jean Shepherd Youth Recovery Center. This new, youth-focused, crisis center is being developed to serve youth and their families by providing 24/7 crisis intervention, short-term stabilization, and outpatient treatment in a single facility.

JoAnna reflects on connecting with other parents at the Bert Nash Center Parent Support Group. The resources shared by the facilitator and connecting with other parents who were navigating similar challenges was life-changing.

When Carol Huettner, a North Lawrence resident, recognized a woman in crisis, her quick thinking and knowledge of the Treatment & Recovery Center (TRC) of Douglas County helped ensure the woman received immediate, expert mental health care.

From his tireless work in the community garden at the Community Health Facility campus to the support and encouragement he shares on...