The long time CEO of Pawnee Mental Health is calling it a career.
Robbin Cole announced Thursday on KMAN’s In Focus that she’s retiring after 28 years with the organization, including the last 18 as its CEO. She says things are looking better for community mental health than they have at any point in her career.
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Cole is referring to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, specially-designated clinics providing a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services, that serve anyone who walks through the door, regardless of their diagnosis and ability to pay.
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She says her decision to retire was aided by the fact that the Kansas Legislature has been more invested in recent years to bolstering mental health services across the state, including plans for a new psychiatric facility in Wichita and more bedspace for children with mental health concerns in the Kansas City area.
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Under Cole’s guidance, Pawnee’s budget grew from $12 million to $28 million annually and has expanded reach into several communities across the region. Cole oversaw layoffs in 2009 and 2010 following cuts in state funding and led the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic.
She also oversaw the opening of the Crisis Stabilization Unit in 2019, formed the Diversity Inclusion Group and helped form the Riley County Mental Health Task Force and Mental Health co-responder program.
She was also Pawnee’s first woman CEO and is its longest tenured, having been appointed to the CEO position in 2006.
Cole’s last official day will be May 1, 2024.
Read more about Cole’s decision at pawnee.org.
