Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
Pawnee Mental Health on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 199
Kansas climbs 29 ranks in mental health ratings, while Pawnee Mental Health provides innovative solutions for community needs despite ongoing challenges from the lack of Medicaid expansion. CEO Mike Rezkalla discusses the organization's progress, rural outreach programs, and upcoming initiatives to improve access to critical mental health services.
· Kansas jumped from 51st to 22nd place in Mental Health America's state rankings, ranking 5th in youth services
· Despite progress, the lack of Medicaid expansion creates barriers for many Kansans who need but cannot afford mental health care
· Pawnee offers a free Agricultural Assistance Program for farmers and their families in ten Kansas counties
· Employee Assistance Programs are available to businesses for only $1 per employee per month
· Same-day access services eliminate 8-12 week wait times for mental health assessments
· Fundraising underway for a blood analyzer to improve crisis stabilization unit access for uninsured patients
· New grant will integrate primary care with behavioral health services for existing clients
· Mental health awareness training has reached over 1,000 community members
· 2023 saw the highest suicide rate on record, with a life lost every 11 minutes
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour as heard on NewsRadio KMAN and welcome back to the GMCF Community Hour here on NewsRadio KMAN. And we get into segment number two and we're going to get an update on some of the activities that are happening at Pawnee Mental Health. I get to do this on a more regular basis than our listeners do, mike. Well, that is great, isn't?
Speaker 2:it. It is great. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Mike Rezkala is the CEO of Pawnee Mental Health. And this is gosh. You just celebrated your one year anniversary here, didn't you? I did, I did. How's it feel?
Speaker 2:It feels great Wonderful community, wonderful organization. There's a huge need in the community and a lot of people who need our help. And you came from the Northeast, came from central Massachusetts, that's pretty Northeast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is, it is Okay. So the transition for you personally.
Speaker 2:So I've always wanted to be here. I came to the state of Kansas several years back and I kept coming back and the kindness I have experienced here has been fantastic. How is it different than Massachusetts? I would say it's a different landscape, it's a different culture. Here it's flat, there's a lot of trees and hills, from a geography perspective. But I would say the difference is usually around the scope of services. There are slightly different models, but the state of Kansas has been advancing in behavioral health. The state of mental health report that Mental Health America has released has ranked the state of Kansas 22nd, which is 29 ranks up. This was in 2024.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because we were number 51. 51. So yeah, and Canada wasn't even considered in this. That's right, that's right, that's true. That's true. Was that Puerto Rico that was considered, or DC, dc, but Kansas was at the very bottom, the very bottom, and advanced 29 ranks.
Speaker 2:You know? Here's what is very interesting the state of Kansas continues to be one of the states that has not expanded Medicaid, and that's a huge deal, Dave. We have a lot of people who need the care and cannot afford it, and a lot of people who are scared to go to the doctor to seek help because they're afraid that they would get a bill and they wouldn't be able to afford it. They're afraid that they would get a bill and they wouldn't be able to afford it, and why this is important is that their mental health deteriorates. People with suicidal ideations, people with complex health conditions not only mental health but also physical health who cannot afford treatment. They just refrain from seeking treatment. The good news is that the state of Kansas has advanced, like I said, 29 ranks up, but also was ranked fifth in terms of access to youth services. They call that in the report, that category, a flourishing category. So the report has 15 criteria in ranking the different states, but Kansas has been making headways.
Speaker 1:One of the things and I've got a little bit more history in Kansas than you do, no offense, but it seems like that there has just been, maybe in the last 15, 20 years, a greater groundswell of support for the need for mental health or even the concept of being, of using mental health. Now that may be quite a bit delayed than what you saw in Massachusetts or anywhere else that you've been over the years, and I don't know necessarily what to attribute that to, other than enhancing awareness, creating greater awareness, and then also people maybe social media have been able to express greater need for mental health because you know a lot of people are out there sharing their stories, not just necessarily 10 counties.
Speaker 2:we serve at Pawnee we serve a 10-county area that there has been a big commitment to mental health and the largest area that I see being an area of need is access, and I worry about access to mental health. It's not all doom and gloom. There has been good things happening. I would say the certified community behavioral health clinic model has been a game changer for the state of Kansas in terms of advancing in mental health. But a lot more work needs to happen. Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. Our colleagues there have been very committed. Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas has been very committed and the other 20, all 26 community mental health centers across the state are committed. Everyone is advancing the model, everyone is doing their best and a big shout out to our team at Pawnee Mental Health. We have a very committed team who knows how to stretch a dollar in this tight funding atmosphere and they are just very committed, kind-hearted people to the well-being and advancement of care for the clients we serve.
Speaker 1:You know I like seeing the progress and we'll throw this out there that I'm proud to be part of the Foundation's board for Pawnee Mental Health and it's something that has been applied in my past. You know receiving help and receiving services from Pawnee dealing with depression some. You know, over 15, 20 years, that I've had some challenges and I think that, and one of the things that you know, I did a video testimony. I don't know if you've seen that or not, but that goes back a ways. But being able to share that story is, I think, something that I'm, you know, one of the prouder things that I have done and I know that there are a lot of people that are starting to better communicate those needs. And you know, when you talk about in the rural communities, you know, and you know that's a lion's share of the 10 communities that you serve Is Nemaha County, one of the communities one of the counties.
Speaker 1:Okay, I know that that's a that's a horrific situation with what happened over the last few days up in Nemaha County, but there's a lot of people that are hurting there. A lot of people hurting there. There's a lot of people that are hurting there. Yeah, a lot of people hurting there. But you know there's that need in a rural community. You know the farmers there are farmers that are struggling with mental health issues and having that access in a rural community has just got to be a tremendous godsend for a lot of folks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say one of the big and our hearts go to those impacted by the recent tragedy in Seneca has been very saddening. You know, when it comes to farmers, farmers are a group of folks who are very, very hardworking and very self-sufficient and it can be difficult sometimes to say I want to explore this service. I have a need for this service and we do have at Pawnee a program called Agriculture Assistance Program and it offers three free services to farmers and ranchers, their family members and those who work for them. Three free services and I would call it the best hidden secret in the state of Kansas. This is the only program of its kind that is available in our 10-county area. That is available in Clay Cloud, Geary, jewell, marshall, mitchell, park County, republic, riley and Washington counties. We also have an employee assistance program and for just $1 per employee per month, an employer can get an employee assistance program.
Speaker 1:Really Staff yeah.
Speaker 2:We're actually one of the largest, if not the largest, provider of EAP program in our area. Mental health is a big deal, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Especially in the workplace, true, true, and that's where a lot of mental health challenges originate.
Speaker 2:That's true. You know, in this day and age, folks can be stressed out. We are all human beings and there is a need. And you know, I would say I've read a recent statistic that one in every four experiences mental health in their lifetime. One in every four experiences mental health in their lifetime, one in every four individuals. And again, I would say, the recent Mental Health America report shines the light on a lot of need that the.
Speaker 2:I would give you one one and it's one out of many statistics that in the year of 2023, has witnessed the highest rate of suicide 49,000 lives lost to suicide, and that is a life lost to suicide every 11 minutes. And that's alarming. For access, we are, the at Pawnee, are able to provide larger access or more enhanced access through same-day access services 1558 Hayes Drive here in Manhattan, and so folks don't need to wait eight weeks, 12 weeks, to access care and their mental health is prioritized. They just walk in and the model is different from everyone else. They receive an assessment the same day and they get connected with other services and they get to see their therapist within seven to 10 days. That I would say fabulous.
Speaker 1:Let's kind of shift course here and talk about some upcoming events. So, of course, grow Green Match Day is just a couple of weeks away. Two weeks away from tomorrow, on the 22nd of April, that's a big day for Pawnee and all the others.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. So. On Tuesday, april 22nd, as you know, the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation is hosting the 13th annual Grow Green Match Day and as we know that eligible donations will receive a match. Why this is a big deal for us is because the need that we have. We are in need of funds to purchase a blood analyzer, and here's why this is important the impact that a blood analyzer would have. It would improve access to a crisis stabilization unit. It would improve access to care for those who cannot afford it.
Speaker 2:We have generated funds and received grants in tune of about $10,000. We still need about 19 more and a lot of folks do not have the financial means to get their labs done in order to be admitted to, let's say, the crisis stabilization unit. A lot don't have the financial means in order for them to keep their care on track and you know, unfortunately, with the high rate of the uninsured, that is becoming a challenge. So what we're aiming to provide is buying that blood analyzer would help us keep things on track. Provide is buying that blood analyzer would help us keep things on track. Also, any additional funds that we receive above the $19,000 mark would help us also stand up our primary care program that we're starting to stand up, and that has been another thing that we have been awarded recently and that is mainly to focus on individuals through a clinical integration model, and there is a need for supplies.
Speaker 1:A great asset to have, wouldn't it? All right, so take that in consideration for Grow Green Match Day. We only have just a couple of moments left here, mike, so we're going to run through just a couple of quick questions. Any other upcoming events that you've got in the works.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have a lot happening, but we have received recently a grant to promote the integration of primary care and behavioral health and what that means. That it's a two-year grant aiming to enhance clinical integration and introducing primary care services, mainly for the population we serve, mainly for the population we serve. It would mean we're not trying to venture into the world of primary care, we just want to focus on the population we serve. It would also introduce a patient portal for our patients, our clients. It would mean that we will hire a provider, a nurse, for one for our Manhattan one of the Manhattan offices on Claflin. So that's a big deal.
Speaker 2:The other thing too we have had a mental health awareness training grant for different types of trainings through the substance abuse and mental health administration, samhsa. We received that grant in 2023. And our goal for year one was 500 individuals to be trained and we exceeded that by 539. We trained 1,039. And for year two, our goal is 750 to train and in less than six months we have been able to train about 654 individuals. That's mental health first aid training and for adults and youth and all kinds of other trainings. But any individual interested or an employer, they can contact us at training at Pawneeorg and they can receive more information. It's free training, all right, mike, always good to have you in. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Congratulations on a one-year mark here for being the CEO for Pawnee, and we certainly appreciate what you're doing here. Thank you, it has been wonderful.
Speaker 1:Mike Riscala. With Pawnee Mental Health joining us, you can always find out more about the work they do at Pawneeorg. With Pawnee Mental Health joining us, you can always find out more about the work they do at Pawneeorg and always remember that if you know someone in need, that 988-SUICIDE-HOTLINE number is something that we always want to stress. We're going to take a break and when we come back, rick Hernandez is here. He's got his Manhattan Free Clinic shirt on and he's going to tell us a little bit more about some of the work. No-transcript.