The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin": Vol. 2024 #39: 6-26-24

Posted June 26, 2024

                             VOLUME 2024          JUNE 26, 2024         NUMBER 39

President Bill Wisdom welcomed the membership and guests, and presented the following reflection: Quote from the Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis:

“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be and if you have taken a wrong turning, then to continue forward does not get you any nearer.  If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road and in that case the one who turns back sooner is the most progressive person.”

The flag salute followed.

Program:

Heather Peterson Introduced Diane Hinrichs-Toburen, PhD, Pawnee Mental Health Marketing and Development Director.  For her biography information, click on the following link: 

Diane Hinrichs-ToburenPhD

Diane thanked everyone for having her here today and for the Optimist support for S.T.A.R.S. Camp.

Pawnee Mental Health serves 10 counties in the region: Jewell (office in Mankato), Mitchell (office in Beloit), Republic (office in Belleville), Cloud (office in Concordia), Washington (office in Washington), Marshall (office in Marysville), Riley (office in Manhattan), Pottawatomie (office in Wamego). 

Pawnee has several facilities in Manhattan: 

Therapy, Recovery and Medical Services 2001 Claflin Rd.
Administration, 423 Houston St.
Crisis stabilization unit and a same day access unit, 1558 Hayes Drive, North.
Youth Community Services at 3019 Anderson Ave. 
Adult Community Services is located at 116 S. 4th St., Suite A.

Pawnee eventually hopes to have all their services in one building, except perhaps the crisis stabilization unit.

Pawnee is governed by a board of directors appointed by the county commissioners of the 10 counties.  Each county has up to two members and one alternate.  Riley County has four board members:
Anne Browne, President
Dantia MacDonald
John Ford (Alternate

Stan Wilson, appointed by the board.

They also have the Pawnee Mental Health Foundation Board with seven Riley County residents.  The foundation helps with fundraising and is Pawnee’s landlord. 

Traditional services provided in Riley County include:

Youth Community Services assist young people who have more challenges that impact their ability to be successful at school and in their homes.  They are taken out into the community to apply those skills and have support when they are out in the community.

Adult Community Services gives support and skills to adult clients.  Ultimately, the goal is for them to lead successful lives.

Therapy is provided at the Claflin office and helps clients move forward with their lives.

Recovery Services
Medication Services
24-7-363 Crisis Services.

Robin Cole, who was CEO for 28 Years was replaced by Mike Rezkalla MA, MPA, who is the new Chief Executive Officer.  He most recently worked as the VP of Operations and Chief Operation Officer of the UMass Memorial Community Healthlink, Worcester, MA.  Community Healthlink is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.  It is also a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic and a Community Mental Health Center.  He holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry, both from Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA.
Lindsay Miller, BS, CPM is the new Chief Financial Officer.
Becky Woodward, LSCSW, LCAC, is the Chief Clinical Officer.

George Macko, SPHR, is the Chief Operating Officer.

Pawnee received Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic status in May of 2024.  It is a federal designation that requires meeting federal requirements.  For the community, it means expanded services, such as individual placement services, employment assistance and support for individuals with mental illness.  Jandi Berry is the individual placement services manager.  Assertive community treatment is a multi-disciplinary team approach that enhances outcomes for individuals with several mental illness who are vulnerable to homelessness and repeated institutionalization.  Susan Jording, LCPC, LMAC, is the assertive community treatment manager.  Patient navigators are staff members who help guide clients through the system, ensuring that all their paperwork is completed, they can attend appointments, and assist them with accessing primary care if necessary.  Theresa Lorenz is the patient navigator manager.

A couple of new services are coming to our community soon.  Same Day Access is the ability to walk into Pawnee’s office, complete paperwork, and get an intake screening on the same day.  Walkin services are currently available in Clay Center, Junction City, Manhattan (1558 Hayes Dr.), Marysville, and Wamego.  Same-day access is coming to Pawnee’s Western Region (Beloit, Belleville, Concordia, Mankato) in July.  Dr. Kendra Stuke, DSW, MSW, LSCSW, RPT, is the Access Program Manager.

They also launched a Mobile Crisis Team, consisting of therapists, social workers, or peer specialists who provide short-term management for people experiencing severe behavioral crisis.  This service was launched in Geary and Clay Counties in March, 2023.  It is expected to be operational in all 10 counties by the end of 2024.  Amanda Yenzer, LLMSW, MS, is the Crisis Manager.

One longtime program provided by Pawnee is their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  Employers enroll in the program and pay a monthly fee to Pawnee to allow their employees and their families access to mental health services.  The EAP program is designed to help individuals deal with personal problems before they negatively affect the individual’s health, relationship, or work performance.  Each employee and/or family member is allowed a minimum of three visits per presenting problem, per person, per year.

They have received a three-year grant to provide training for free to anyone in the 10-county area to groups (minimum five, maximum thirty) on first aid, CPR, and mental health first aid for youth and adults. 

There is a new mental health crisis hotline (988) to assist with any challenge you might have.  The call is routed to a group of well-trained people in Lawrence.  If Lawrence’s lines are busy, the call may be routed to another facility.  They are knowledgeable about available services and will be able to refer you to appropriate support services.  This is not just for suicidal cases, but for any mental health issue you might be going through.

Guests: 

President Wisdom introduced today’s speaker, Diane Hinrichs-ToburenPhD.  Heather Peterson introduced her guest, Caleb Gosser, with McCownGordon Construction.

Club Stuff/Announcements:

Bill Wisdom shared the certificate honoring the Manhattan Optimist Club from the Flint Hills Finest’s (Formerly Readers’ Choice Awards) for Civic Services Organization for 2024, the second year in a row and three out of four years.

One of our members, Bob Pulford was on the 1988 4.0 Division National Champion Tennis Team.

The Optimist board meeting is on June 29th at 6:00 pm at Optimist Park; all members are welcome to come.

Heather Peterson announced that that the Just Try It is Saturday, August 10th and she will need volunteers to help.

Save these dates: September 28, football parking for the OSU game; October 19, Aggieville Chili Crawl.

Adjourned with the Optimist Creed

Next Weeks’s Meeting:

JULY 3: MORNING MEETING: Amy Manges, Riley County Register of Deeds: Topic: “Property Fraud Alert”

July Meetings:

JULY 10: NOON MEETING: Karla Hagenmeister, Flint Hills Breadbasket: Topic: “Flint Hills Breadbasket”

JULY 17: MORNING MEETING: Mike Finnegan, PHD, D-ABFA, Forensic Anthropologist: Topic: “War Dead Recoveries: Vietnam”

JULY 24: NOON MEETING: Ron Wells: Topic: “Classic Car Restoration”

JULY 31: MORNING MEETING: Business Meeting

JULY BIRTHDAYS