In 1999, the Wedgwood Baptist Church shooting happened as a result of a man suffering from an untreated mental illness. Fort Worth Mayor, Kenneth Barr, turned to local mental health providers, requesting a plan to improve access to quality mental health services for all Tarrant County residents. The initial providers were comprised of Tarrant County, My Health My Resources (MHMR) of Tarrant County, the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth ISD, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Lena Pope, and the Child Study Center. These founders provided leadership and financial resources, created task forces and set parameters for collaborative planning, recruited organizational and individual members, and developed a fees structure. With this, Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County was established, and this core group has expanded to over 100 members that include county and city officials, both private and not for profit hospitals and service providers, school districts and universities, child welfare and foster care, individual practitioners and impacted family members. With our continuous collaboration, we’re able to develop long-term changes in the system, while addressing emerging needs.
about us
MHC strengthens mental health through collaboration
Who we are
we believe that healthy minds lead to healthy communities
Mental Health Connection (MHC) of Tarrant County is a collaboration of dues-paying members committed to revolutionizing the mental health service system by developing long-term systemic changes while addressing emerging needs within our community.
Where we started
our impact
Together, with collaboration from our members, MHC provides resources, initiatives, and training from national experts and leaders, guiding our community through trauma, towards resilience.
Our leadership
Board of directors
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Ottis Goodwin, Board Chair
Fort Worth ISD, Director of Family and Community Resources
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Ashley Elgin, PhD, Board Vice Chair
Lena Pope, Chief Executive Officer
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Jennifer Gilley, Board Treasurer
Tarrant County Challenge, Executive Director
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Holiday Bean, Psy.D, Board Secretary
The TELOS Project, Clinical Director
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Julie Evans, Board Immediate Past Chair
Alliance for Children, Executive Director
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Zelia Baugh
JPS Health Network, Executive Vice President Behavioral Health
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Susan Garnett
My Health My Resources (MHMR), Chief Executive Officer
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Matthew Vereecke
The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, Chief Executive Officer
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Bennie Medlin
Tarrant County Juvenile Services, Director and Chief Juvenile Probation Officer
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Wayne Carson, PhD
ACH Child and Family Services, Chief Executive Officer
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Gaby Garcia
PSP Professional Services, President
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Matt Robison
Cook Children’s Child Study Center, Director
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Frank Hernandez, PhD
Texas Christian University, Dean of College Education
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staff
Christina Judge, MA, CFRE, Executive Director
Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County
Kim Brennan, M. Ed., Strategic Initiatives Director
Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County
Chasity Warren, Office & Communications Manager
Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County