Chadron Mental Health Worker Honored With New Award

Mental health professional Chelsea Turner of Chadron has been recognized with the Champion Award from the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, whose acronym BHECN is pronounced Beacon.

The award was announced earlier this year and presented this week.

     Turner has worked in mental health for over a decade and is just completing her master’s degree and licensing in clinical mental health counseling.

      She has been providing support and resources to patients with severe to persistent mental health diagnoses as a services coordinator with Western Community Health Resources in Chadron, and agency director Sandy Roes Montague presented the actual crystal award to her in an outdoor ceremony in Chadron on Wednesday.

BHECN recognizes distinguished service, ambassadorship, and courage by individuals who make a significant impact in the behavioral health field in the state of Nebraska, but this is the first year for the Champion Award.

       Ambassador Program Coordinator Ann Kraft says it became clear a new award was needed to recognize professionals who are champions for behavioral health in their community and provide outstanding service to people living with mental illness.

       Turner says she was completely surprised and humbled when she learned that she’d won the Champion Award. 

Tracy Wilson, the co-worker who nominated Turner, said she regularly goes above and beyond to provide compassion and empathy for her client base

      Turner has left Western Community Health Resources to pursue plans to practice in a therapy setting in the Panhandle.

The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska was established by the state in 2009 to improve access to behavioral health services for all Nebraskans through the development of a skilled workforce.