ISSUE 38
JULY 2023
THE Express
OUR WESTCARE STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
WestCare Family, As we find ourselves past the mid-point of the year, I want to reflect on our collective achievements and share some exciting updates with you. It has been another remarkable year of Uplifting the Human Spirit across the globe and your unwavering support has played a pivotal role in our success. First, I am thrilled to welcome WestCare Gulf Coast’s new Vice President of Operations, Steve Blank. With his extensive experience and proven track record in the industry, Steve brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of knowledge to our organization. I am confident that his leadership will guide us toward even greater heights! Now, let’s highlight a few of our accomplishments over the past few months: The WestCare Family was represented at The National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s annual NatCon23 conference in early May, with over 40 attendees and five presentations! A huge thank you to all the attendees and especially to the speakers for their dedication to continuing education: Jennifer Hilton, Beverly Watts-Davis, Leo Magrdichian, Irma Magrdichian, Andrew Moran, Savannah Jones, Jim Workman, and Dwayne Stevens. In late May, WestCare Georgia honored long-time friend and National Board Member, Dr. Eugene Walker, by renaming the facility in Carrollton the Dr. Eugene Walker Youth Academy. We are truly humbled to have the opportunity to walk alongside Dr. Walker and officially intertwine his legacy with WestCare Georgia’s. In late May, Guam was hit by a devastating typhoon – leaving thousands of residents without water or electricity for weeks following the storm. Typhoon Mawar had sustained winds of 140 mph and is estimated to have caused $112 million in damage. Thankfully, our WestCare Pacific Islands team remained safe, and our offices sustained minimal damage – but many of our team members had damage to their homes. Continue to keep the Guam team in your thoughts. I want to give recognition and considerable kudos to Senior Vice President, Aja Ramos and her team for serving their community amidst it all.
On a happier note, WestCare Pacific Islands’ Clinical Director, Beverlyn Coleman, was a speaker at The White House Initiative Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Summit. ‘WestCare at the White House’ sounds nice to me! With the school year just around the corner, our many summer camps are winding down. But, we had an impressive number of participants around the globe, serving almost 500 kids across WestCare Texas, WestCare Pacific Islands, WestCare Tennessee, and East End Community Services (WestCare Ohio). One of our newest projects, WestCare Maryland, completed Phase One of the corrections project that involved assessing thousands of men for substance use disorders. Phase Two, slated to begin shortly, will implement a residential therapeutic community providing substance use treatment. Looking ahead, we have planned several exciting events and initiatives. We will host several groundbreakings at The Heron in Marathon, Florida, and the Women and Children’s Campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. We are also planning an open house for The Village South Broward Community Behavioral Health Center in Pembroke Pines, Florida. We are officially bringing a WestCare residential treatment program to West Virginia, starting the project by the end of the year. What an exciting end of the year! We have a lot to look forward to. As always, I want to thank you for the hard work each of you do every day. Your dedication and belief in our mission inspire so many. Wishing you all a productive and fulfilling second half of the year! Warm regards,
Ken Ortbals Chief Executive Officer WestCare Foundation