Douglas County and partner agencies will provide an update about behavioral health initiatives during a community event “New Directions in Behavioral Health” 5:30-7 p.m. May 6 in the Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St. The event is free, open to the public and being held in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month.

Bob Tryanski, director of Behavioral Health Projects for Douglas County, will provide an overview and then moderate a panel discussion about current and future projects. Topics will include: care coordination, peer support for people accessing social detox, Integrated Crisis Team at LMH Health, Peer Fellows program, and the recovery campus and housing projects. Community members also will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Those scheduled to serve on the panel:

• Karin Denes-Collar, Behavioral Health Director, Heartland Community Health Center
• Stacey Cooper, Intensive Care Coordination Program Supervisor, Heartland Regional Alcohol & Drug Assessment Center (Heartland RADAC)
• Ashley Countryman, Clinical Coordinator, DCCCA – First Step at Lake View
• Mathew Faulk, Homeless Outreach Program Manager, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
• Derrick Hurst, Director of the Integrated Crisis Team, LMH Health
• Shannon Oury, Executive Director, Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority
• Bill Reilly, Peer Support Program Manager, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center

In 2018, Douglas County invested $1.9 million to support behavioral health projects, and then continued that funding level of $1.9 million in 2019. The funding has helped to: add five psychiatrists in our community, add social detox services that can be accessed regardless of gender or insurance status, provide a team of behavioral health specialists, medical staff and peers who can provide wrap-around services in the LMH Health Emergency Department, among other projects.

“Our goal is to help build an integrated system of care that moves from crisis and illness as anorm to recovery and prevention as a practice, and I think we’ve made significant progress in that direction,” Tryanski said.