By: Micaela Meyer, Marketing Assistant, Center for Human Services

For the past 22 years, Rosemary began her days with a commute from her home in Stockton to her work in Modesto. It marks one of many parts to her daily routine that is changing as she transitions into retirement. June 26, 2000 was Rosemary’s first day at CHS, and it was her first time entering the nonprofit world. After years in the for-profit realm, she was looking for a new role and context that aligned with her identity as a people person. 

Her first position at CHS was as a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern at Robertson Road Elementary School. After a few years, she took on a Mental Health Program Coordinator role, and 5 months later, she became Associate Director, now known as Behavioral Health Director. 

For the past 17 years, she nurtured the partnerships between CHS, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), and Modesto City Schools (MCS). With a presence in nearly every city in Stanislaus County, the mental health side of this department includes school-based services, Education-Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS), the Academic Success Program (ASP), and behavioral health consultations with MCS. CHS’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment services also fall under the behavioral health umbrella, which include intensive and regular outpatient treatment options. 

Rosemary oversaw the growth of the Behavioral Health Department from three programs to twenty four, with the most recent addition being the Youth Opioid Response (YOR) program. Her greatest hope for the future of the agency is that CHS continues to build the legacy it has established.

Through it all, the program will affirm the dignity of these women as strong, capable and resourceful individuals.

“To me, that’s vitally important — to be a beacon in this community,” she said. “There are others who are doing the work, but it’s not so much just the work as it is the culture and how to maintain that culture.”

She will miss the staff and clients at CHS, but she is looking forward to new things on the horizon. “I’m excited. I’ve never not worked, and not having a regular day-to-day routine will be different.” In retirement, she will enjoy spending time with her grandchildren as well as doing ministry and continuing education and conversations about mental health at her church.

Even though her time at CHS has come to an end, she leaves behind a lasting legacy of guiding Behavioral Health’s growth and helping it blossom into the robust department it is today.

Return to Summer 2022 Center Line Newsletter