The Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) of Pawnee Mental Health has announced two staff promotions.
Kelsey Harwood, LSCSW, has been promoted from crisis therapist to crisis therapist supervisor. In this position, she supervises the staff of therapists at the CSU and has oversight for the clinical care that is provided by the staff. Harwood earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 and a master’s degree in 2018, both in social work, at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS. She has been a staff member at the CSU since February of 2020. Before moving to Manhattan, she was employed at a psychiatric hospital in Kansas City.

Jeremy Meek was promoted from crisis case manager to crisis operations supervisor. He is responsible for day-to-day operations of the CSU and provides oversight for the case managers and mental health technicians. Meek earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Kansas State University in 2002. He received a master’s degree in health care administration from Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa, in 2012. Meek has been a member of the CSU staff since October of 2019. Prior to that he was employed as the counseling manager at Flint Hills Job Corps.

One of only five facilities of its kind in Kansas, Pawnee’s Crisis Stabilization Unit opened in November of 2019 to serve residents of all 10 counties in Pawnee’s service area. The 11-bed unit provides voluntary treatment for those experiencing an acute mental health or substance use crisis. Individuals receive intensive therapeutic services in a warm, supportive environment and then are assisted with transitioning into continuing care as needed. In its first year of operation, 1,234 individuals received a crisis evaluation and 413 stayed one night or more.
Founded in 1956, Pawnee Mental Health Services is a private, not-for-profit community mental health center, one of 26 in the state. Pawnee provides a full range of mental health, substance use recovery, and crisis services for adults, adolescents, and children in 10 north central Kansas counties. Services are provided regardless of a client’s ability to pay. In fiscal year 2020, Pawnee employed approximately 250 staff and served almost 7,000 adults, adolescents, and children.