As Nikki Barrett sobbed on the phone after being told she was fired as a part of cuts at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, she said she was given no answers to some key questions.
“Who will tell the families of my kids?” the former WRAP therapist who worked at Hillcrest Elementary said she asked. “Who will be at Hillcrest next year to take care of my kids?”
The lack of answers is one example of a frustrating relationship with executives at the center, according to a dozen current and past Bert Nash employees who spoke at Wednesday’s Douglas County Commission meeting. They said the current financial crisis at Bert Nash is due to mismanagement and poor decision-making from leadership.
Bert Nash last week eliminated around 7% of staff positions and cut salaries of non-union employees between 2% and 15% as the center has “reached the level of a financial exigency,” according to the center’s CEO. The center is projecting a $3 million loss this year.
“The people on the front lines, people like myself and the case managers and the therapists and the people working in schools and working with kiddos who desperately need us — I think before cutting people like us, we make cuts with things that affect kids less,” Barrett said.
Barrett said the last few months have been extremely challenging. After “going through hell” at Hillcrest, where she said she was a victim of racial discrimination during last school year, she was forced by her Bert Nash supervisors to take a two-week leave for her mental health. When she was supposed to return last week, she was informed she didn’t have a job to return to.
Three months ago, Barrett was celebrated on Bert Nash’s social media and website for Black History Month.
“They put me on this poster during Black History Month,” Barrett said in an interview ahead of the meeting. “That was February. It’s the end of May, and I don’t have a damn job.”
MaKayla Reed, a case manager at the Bert Nash-operated Treatment and Recovery Center, said the layoffs will have a devastating impact, estimating that 488 clients will be affected.
“It’s our concern that with continued financial hardships coming from the Trump administration, Bert Nash’s executive team will target vital departments and teams who serve the community, rather than looking inward,” Reed said.
She pleaded with the county commission to hold the leadership at Bert Nash accountable as financial hardships appear likely to continue.
Carleen Roberts, a former Bert Nash employee, said she was given little support when she first started at the center.
She said if the county was to direct more funding to the center, it should create strict guidelines about what the money is used for. That process should involve listening to the staff that work with clients every day, Roberts said.
“Let’s not just give them the funds without knowing what we’re doing,” Roberts said.
Bert Nash CEO Patrick Schmitz said in an email ahead of the meeting that the center has been reaching out to all affected clients to discuss next steps and offer options for continued services.
“We take seriously the trust the community places in us and are doing everything we can to minimize disruption,” he said. “This is part of our process when any clinician leaves the Bert Nash Center for any reason.”
Schmitz said deciding which positions to eliminate was not a light task. He said they evaluated all areas of the organization including administrative, leadership and clinical roles with the goal of preserving as much direct client care as possible.
Last week, Commissioner Gene Dorsey had asked county staff members to ask Bert Nash executives to come speak to the commission about the center’s financial situation. Schmitz was not present at the meeting.
Lawrence Public Schools’ WRAP therapy services could be at risk
Barrett worked as a WRAP therapist at Hillcrest elementary before she was fired. She said the work she does for students is crucial and they could suffer without the support she and her colleagues offer.
WRAP, which stands for Wellness, Resources, Access and Prevention, provides therapeutic and supportive services in Douglas County schools via Bert Nash. It is a resource for all middle and high school students in Lawrence Public Schools, and students at some district elementary schools.
Barrett said she takes pride in providing a safe space for students who may have no one else they trust.
“I’ve always said it’s my goal to make sure that kids feel seen and heard,” she said. “And that they, you know, walk tall and stand strong and know that they belong here … These kids are broken, and I haven’t even had a chance to close sessions or to tell them goodbye, to give them a reason why yet another trusted adult abandoned them.”
She said she was told by her supervisor Bert Nash was unsure if a therapist would be placed at Hillcrest next year.
“And no one has to explain to (the students) either,” Barrett said. “Who the hell is going to tell them my story? Because it sure as shit won’t be Bert Nash.”
Matthew Herbert, chair of the Bert Nash governing board, told commissioners he was most concerned that WRAP services for students in USD 497 are at risk. Herbert is also a former Lawrence city commissioner, and he previously taught high school civics.
Herbert pointed out the county has about $15 million in the budget funded by a county sales tax for behavioral health not currently being spent.
“I myself was a WRAP kid during its pilot infancy, and now I see the program suffering greatly,” Herbert said. “I see the city backing out of funding, I see USD 497 offering no funding and I hope that potentially the behavioral health sales tax passed by Douglas County voters could be a solution to this.”
Julie Boyle, a spokesperson for USD 497, said as the district navigates its own financial constraints, it empathizes with Bert Nash as it makes challenging budget decisions.
“We value opportunities for our school mental health teams to work with Bert Nash to support our community’s children in getting the mental health services they need to be successful,” Boyle said. “We know that this shared commitment remains. Lawrence Public Schools will always adjust to changing circumstances to support our students.”
School board President Kelly Jones said the board understands how important mental health is to student and teacher learning.
“What Bert Nash is facing isn’t just a healthcare shortage issue — it’s an education equity issue, a rights issue for behavioral health workers, and a justice issue for recipients of behavioral healthcare,” Jones said.
She said expanding Medicaid in Kansas could be a game-changer by allowing more people to seek out mental health services. Medicaid is among the largest purchasers of behavioral health services in the country.
“That would mean fewer students and educators falling through the cracks, fewer behavioral crises in our schools, and stronger support systems for their families under stress,” Jones said. “Medicaid expansion is a practical and fiscally responsible step toward healthier children, stronger schools, and more resilient communities.”
— Post updated to add Jones’ input at 8:42 p.m. Wednesday, May 28; this post has been corrected from a previous version.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
