Douglas County Commissioners endorsed the proposed governance structure and bylaws of Behavioral Health Partners, Inc. during their Sept. 9 meeting. Behavioral Health Partners, Inc., a nonprofit partnership between LMH Health and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, will provide leadership, clinical oversight and operational management of the crisis recovery center on the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County.
Douglas County’s Education Unified Command, which provided support and developed guidance for local K-12 schools and higher education in recent months, will move into a broader Unified Command structure that will continue to guide the community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Douglas County Building Codes Director, Tina Rakes describes her work as life safety.
She ensures that homes and businesses are built to be safe, sustainable and resilient structures that meet the International Code Council’s standards.
“I primarily help people who want to build something whether it’s commercial, residential or an addition,” she said. “My goal is to establish a working relationship and to help people accomplish their goals.”
Lawrence Mayor Jennifer Ananda facilitated a discussion about data analysis for racial and ethnic disparities during the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s virtual meeting on Oct. 14. Ananda chairs the Racial and Ethnic Disparities work group, which was seeking direction from the Council members about what they would hope to learn from an analysis of racial data.
For example, she asked: Do you want to focus on individual behaviors or policies, procedures and statutes that are disproportionately impacting the community.
Several heritage organizations in the area are partnering on an exciting digital offering for the public: The Great Douglas County History Hunt. From October 30 to November 8, the public can take a GPS-enabled tour of county historic sites and be entered in a drawing for valuable prize baskets.
Douglas County announced today its continued commitment to reduce the number of people in the Douglas County Correctional Facility who have mental illnesses by participating in the newest initiative from Stepping Up, Set, Measure, Achieve - a nationwide call to action to reduce the prevalence of mental illness in local justice systems.
The multi-year effort will focus on creating measurable reductions to the Douglas County Corrections Facility population with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and achieving:
Douglas County is one of 13 communities in the country to receive the first Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction Grant from the USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and has been awarded nearly $90,000 to work on food resource recovery.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the crisis recovery center will be at noon Friday, October 23. The center, 1000 W. Second St., will be located on the Treatment and Recovery Campus of Douglas County and will serve adults and children with mental health and substance disorder needs.
Route 1055 from west of East 1700 Road to North 790 Road will be closed to through traffic beginning Monday, July 20, weather permitting, for a road project. The project includes reconstruction of pavement and safety improvements including paved shoulders, flatter roadside slopes, and replacement of two narrow bridges and one culvert. Public Works anticipates construction will be completed by Thanksgiving 2020, weather permitting.
Route 1055 (East 1500 Road) — from Route 458 (North 1000 Road) to North 1175 Road — will be closed to through traffic beginning Monday, June 15, weather permitting, for construction of a road rehabilitation project. The project includes pavement rehabilitation and safety improvements including paved shoulders, flatter roadside slopes, and replacement of narrow culverts. Public Works anticipates construction will be completed by Thanksgiving 2020, weather permitting.
Courthouse:
1100 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
Judicial and Law Enforcement Center:
111 East 11th Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
