Offering Hope…
Behavioral Health Services for the Kansas City Northland community. Prevention, assessment and treatment services for individuals and families throughout Clay, Platte and Ray counties
Tri-County CEO Tom Cranshaw presented Heather Hayes with the Employee of the Quarter Award for her work as Transitional Case Manager.
Ryan McElhaney was honored for her service as TCMHS Youth Prevention Specialist.
Tri-County’s most recent Employees of the Quarter illustrate well the wide range of services that the organization offers to residents of Clay, Platte and Ray counties.
The most recent honoree is Transitional Case Manager Heather Hayes. As part of the Community Support Department, Heather joins other case workers in the often critical job of helping mental health consumers with everything from housing needs to advocating for them with other organizations. Unlike others, however, Heather specializes in helping new clients who have been referred to Tri-County, helping them into the system while they await assignment to a permanent caseworker.
“There is a lot of variety,” Heather explained. “What each person needs is very individual.”
A seven-year veteran with Tri-County, Heather served extensively as a traditional case manager, but finds her present position especially challenging. A resident of Kansas City, she says that the role is especially important to ensure that people who are dealing with a mental illness don’t “fall through the cracks.”
“The idea is that we help them connect with services and organizations in the community and, if needed, advocate for them,” she explained. “Sometimes it’s just being that extra help they need to remain in their home rather than a hospital. The thing I like is that the treatment here is holistic—we try to look at everything that can help them. My work is to see they get those services they need.”
Earlier, Employee of the Quarter honors went to Youth Prevention Specialist Ryan McElhaney. Ryan educates youth and adults about the dangerous effects of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Through the planning and development of youth programs such as the Northland Teen Institute, Operation Smoke Screen Summit, Mock Court, Northland Youth Leadership Summit and Girl Power, Ryan has worked to train teens to be positive role models, be knowledgeable in the field of substance abuse prevention and encourage others to lead a healthy lifestyle that is free of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.
With Tri-County for more than three years, Ryan is also adult sponsor of Youth With Vision, a nationally recognized youth advocacy group composed of high school student leaders from the Clay, Platte and Ray Counties. She is involved in MAPP (Metropolitan Association of Prevention Professionals) as the Marketing Chair and MYAA (Missouri Youth Adult Alliance). This past year Ryan also has taken on two Ray County Community 2000 teams as their Tri-County contact.
“I like my job because it's something new every day, but I always know that I'm working for a cause,” Ryan explained. “I love working with the youth and educating them about substance abuse prevention and planning activities for them to experience.”
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Tri-County Mental Health Services, 3100 NE 83rd St., Suite 1001, Kansas City, MO 64119-9998
Telephone: (816) 468-0400 Fax: (816) 468-6635 • 24-Hour Emergency Service Crisis Line 1-888-279-8188
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