The full-circle nature of the moment was not lost on Annette Dubas, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations.
As she received the 2024 Distinguished Service Award – the highest honor bestowed by the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska – the Fullerton native reflected on her time as a state legislator, during which she helped pass a 2009 measure that created BHECN.
“Back then, who could have envisioned we’d be standing here tonight?” Dubas asked the roughly 170 guests gathered at Lauritzen Gardens for BHECN’s recent annual awards dinner.
Dubas, who received the award for her “leadership, service, advocacy and heart in support of behavioral health workforce development in Nebraska, said BHECN was born out of a state behavioral health emergency. It was a crisis that peaked following the passage of a “Safe Haven Law” that allowed overwhelmed parents to leave their children at Nebraska hospitals, regardless of age.
The crisis quickly revealed the consequences of the state’s shortage of behavioral health workers, as many of the children dropped off at hospitals struggled with behavioral health issues. A key part of the legislative response, Dubas said, was the creation of BHECN.
Since then, she said, she’s been proud to watch BHECN grow and become a leader in addressing the state’s workforce challenges.
But Dubas has been far more than a bystander in the effort to improve behavioral health in Nebraska, said Erin Schneider, EdD, BHECN’s former deputy director, as she presented Dubas with the award.
“Annette has been a steadfast advocate for improving access to mental health and substance use disorder services, securing provider rate increases and addressing workforce challenges,” Dr. Schneider said.
Dubas’s contributions span both her eight-year tenure in the Legislature and the following decade as executive director of the Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations.
“Annette has also been a valued partner, advisor and friend to BHECN, and we are deeply grateful for her support and leadership,” Dr. Schneider said.
Four others were also honored at the dinner:
- Melissa Lafferty, PhD, of Nebraska Mental Health Centers received the BHECN Ambassador Award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding efforts in mentoring the future behavioral health workforce in Nebraska.
- Laura Sanchez of AM Counseling received the BHECN Champion Award, recognizing outstanding service and outreach to the behavioral health community by a student, trainee or health care professional.
- Janetta Lenstrom of Potter, Nebraska, received the BHECN Courage Award, honoring outstanding service and outreach by a behavioral health service consumer or a family member.
- Hayden Wallace, a recent graduate of the Wayne State College Clinical Counseling Program who also works in the counseling office at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, received the inaugural BHECN Emerging Leader Award. This new award recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student who demonstrates leadership and commitment to advancing behavioral health in Nebraska.