Bob Bartee, others honored at BHECN awards dinner

As he helped guide UNMC for more than four decades, Bob Bartee had a keen understanding of the health care needs of Nebraska and particularly Nebraska’s rural and underserved areas.

This allowed the former UNMC vice chancellor for external relations to champion many initiatives — including the founding of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska — that improved the lives of Nebraskans, said Erin Schneider, BHECN’s associate director of external relations.

Schneider presented Bartee recently with the 2022 BHECN Distinguished Service Award during the organization’s recent annual mentorship dinner.

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor bestowed by BHECN and is presented to individuals who provide inspirational leadership, service, advocacy and heart in support of behavioral health workforce development in Nebraska.

“It’s hard to think of a more deserving recipient as we likely wouldn’t be here tonight were it not for (Bartee’s) amazing work,” Schneider said.

After helping secure state funding to start BHECN in 2009, Bartee provided continual support to help the organization grow, Schneider said.

A recent example of Bartee’s support was his guidance and mentorship of BHECN leaders as they worked to secure more than $25 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds last year that BHECN now is administering to help address Nebraska’s behavioral health workforce shortage and challenges that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, Schneider said.

“Bob has been a great teacher, mentor and friend to me and others at BHECN,” Schneider said. “It is truly an honor to be able to present him this award.”

Others honored at the dinner included:

• Narayana Koduri, MD, who received the 2022 Ambassador Award. The award recognizes individuals for outstanding efforts in mentoring the future behavioral health workforce in Nebraska. Dr. Koduri is the site director for the rural psychiatry rotation, the chief medical officer at Great Plains Health in North Platte and the medical director for behavioral health services at the community hospital in McCook.
• Celeste Akers, who received the BHECN Champion Award, which recognizes outstanding service and outreach to the behavioral health community by a student, trainee or health care professional. Akers is a lead community services technician with the Nebraska Medicine Department of Psychiatry.
• Mary Angus, who received the BHECN Courage Award. The award recognizes outstanding service and outreach to the behavioral health community by a consumer of behavioral health services or a family member. Angus serves as Self-Advocate faculty for Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program.

Read more about the event and the BHECN awardees.