As Lawrence High School sophomore Arabella Gipp began to realize a personal disconnect with the mental health resources in the area, she could also see those around her were in the same boat. This prompted her to take action.
Tricia Masenthin/Lawrence Times
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center has two listening sessions coming up, but some clients are sounding off now. They say unfilled medications, a lack of available appointments, and unresponsiveness are keeping them from staying on track with their mental health care.
Community members will have an opportunity to offer their ideas, opinions and needs about Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center during two listening sessions set for Thursday, Sept. 29.
Changes in state law should help expand mental health services, but it will take years to get everyone on board.
More changes in mental health and substance use disorder service delivery are afoot in Douglas County. By the end of 2022, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center will have transitioned to a new, integrated model of care.
A panel of local mental health experts will engage in a discussion to “increase our awareness and break down the stigma surrounding mental health,” according to the Lawrence Public Library.
The 2022 Kansas Mental Health Summit, the first of its kind in Kansas, brought together more than 600 in-person and online registrants. The roster included judges, legislators, attorneys, court services officers, community corrections officers and representatives from the executive branch, mental and medical health disciplines, law enforcement and first responders.
Contributed and Lawrence Times file images
The future of WRAP, the Lawrence school district’s in-school mental and behavioral health program, remains up in the air for the 2022-23 academic year.
United Way of Douglas County
Organizers of an upcoming workshop aim to offer information, break down barriers and empower community members to navigate resources for mental illness and addiction in Douglas County.
Recent incidents and their aftermath at Billy Mills Middle School have some families on edge with concerns about student safety. On top of that, students at two other middle schools allegedly made false reports of a shooting and a threat on Monday, and police were investigating a threat to a Lawrence elementary school Monday night.
