06/11/2026
We were honored to help close out Mental Health Month at the Mental Health KC Conference on May 28–29 by sharing two presentations highlighting innovative approaches to improving mental health and overall well-being in our community.
🩺 Care Where Trust Lives: An Innovative Approach to Addressing Chronic Health Conditions in Community Mental Health explored how embedding primary care services within a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) can improve access to care, strengthen coordination between providers, and better support individuals living with serious mental illness and complex health needs.
Presenters:
• Tim DeWeese, LMSW, Johnson County Mental Health Center
• Rachel Itkonen, FNP, Johnson County Mental Health Center
• Ryan Speier, MSW, Integrated Psychiatric Consultants
• Vishal Adma, MD, CMQ, CPE, Integrated Psychiatric Consultants
🔒 The Secure and Protect Initiative: Culturally Informed Approach to Firearm Su***de Prevention highlighted how healthcare providers, prevention professionals, Veterans Affairs staff, and firearm retailers can work together to promote voluntary, temporary out-of-home firearm storage and reduce su***de risk while respecting responsible firearm ownership.
Presenters:
• Shana Burgess, Johnson County Mental Health Center
• Mallory Gevertz, Johnson County Mental Health Center
• Patrick Bainbridge, Kansas City Veterans Affairs
• Ryq Farnow, Up In Arms Kansas
Thank you to MentalHealthKC for bringing together professionals, advocates, and community partners committed to improving mental health across our region. We appreciated the opportunity to share our work and learn alongside so many dedicated colleagues.
***dePrevention