photo of jessica abrass wearing a black crew-neck shirt in front of leafy green trees

JESSICA ABRASS

Jessica Abrass brings extensive consulting experience across both rural and urban communities throughout Nevada. With a foundation in social work and a background spanning healthcare and behavioral health settings, she offers a unique ability to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration in public health initiatives. Jessica has partnered with law enforcement, emergency medical services, hospitals, social service agencies, and treatment providers to secure grants, develop strategic plans, and successfully implement programs and initiatives that strengthen community systems of care.

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“Jessica is the most enthusiastic and engaged facilitator for behavioral health, with a focus in rural and frontier communities. She helped us solve problems through discussion, collaboration and cooperation. We could not have gotten the right people to the table without her openness.”

— David Fogerson, retired Nevada Emergency Manager and Homeland Security Director

RESUME HIGHTLIGHTS

With over 20 years of experience in Behavioral Health, Jessica Abrass has a wide range of experience to help enhance or develop any organization’s needs by creating solutions through collaboration and implementation.

    • Recipient of the 2016 Nevada Summer Institute Marilyn Morrical Substance Use Prevention Award

    • Recipient of Nevada Business Magazine’s 2019 Healthcare Heroes Community Partner award

    • Recipient of the 2019 NAMI Western Nevada Leadership Award

    • Recipient of award from Northern Regional Behavioral Health Policy Board for “Outstanding Leadership and Commitment to Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Services for Northern Nevada” (2022)

    • Facilitated Statewide Mental Health Crisis Hold Workgroup from 2018 to 2022 to develop legislation focused on updating the mental health crisis hold and assisted outpatient treatment processes in Nevada law (AB85 and SB70). Shepherded AB85 and SB70 successfully through legislative in the 2019 and 2021 legislative sessions respectively.

    • Coordinated with Nevada DPBH and stakeholders to develop regulations specified in AB85 and SB70.

    • Engaged Statewide Workgroup stakeholders in developing, printing, and distributing adult and youth mental health crisis hold brochures statewide.

    • Developed, moderated, and presented at the Nevada Mental Health Crisis Summit with no additional funding. Almost 500 individuals attended with positive reviews.

    • Coordinated with the Statewide Mental Health Crisis Hold Workgroup and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health in developing adult and youth mental health crisis hold videos (https://nvbh.org/involuntary-hold/)

    • Coordinated the development of the Northern Regional Behavioral Health Emergency Response Preparedness Plan

    • Co-created a Behavioral Health 101 training with Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health Carson City Forensic Program Manager, and trained over 500 people (social services, law enforcement, hospital staff, emergency management staff, and others in Quad County Region.)

    • Assisted in coordinating and presenting at Carson, Churchill, Lyon, and Douglas County Crisis Intervention Trainings (CIT) as needed annually from 2017-2022)

    • Coordinated the development of a statewide website for Crisis Intervention Training in Nevada which can be found at nvcit.org .

    • Led the development of a statewide website for the Regional Behavioral Health Policy Boards which can be found at nvbh.org .

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