Dennis Mohatt, M.A.
Professional
Affiliations
Fellow – American Orthopsychiatric Association
Associate Member – American Psychological Association
Member – National Rural Health Association
Member – American College of Behavioral Health Administration
NARMH Positions
Dennis has held every position on the NARMH Board including President
from 1992-1995. He also received the Victor I. Howery Award in
1996.
Rural Mental Health Involvement and Contributions
Dennis Mohatt is Vice President for Behavioral Health for the Western
Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and directs its
mental health program. Founded in 1955, the WICHE Mental Health
Program is a collaborative venture with 15 western states. The
program’s mission is twofold: 1) to assist the states in the improvement
of systems of care for persons with mental illness and their families;
and 2) to advance the preparation of a qualified mental health workforce
in the West.
Dennis served as Deputy Director for the Nebraska Department of
Health and Human Services from 1996-1999. In that position, he was
designated the state’s Commissioner of Mental Health, as well as
providing leadership in the areas of public assistance, rural health,
primary care, disabilities, and child welfare. He was responsible for
the administration of Nebraska’s public managed care initiatives in
Medicaid for both physical and behavioral health. He has over a
decade of experience in community mental health, and provided executive
leadership to a very successful CMHC in Michigan’s rural Upper
Peninsula, and the successful integration of community mental health
services with primary care in two rural family medicine practices.
Dennis served on the National Rural Health Advisory Committee, to the
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, from 1994 – 1998.
Recently, Dennis served as the Chief Consultant to the Rural Issues
Subcommittee of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
and lead author of the subcommittee report to the Commission.
Dennis received his undergraduate training at the University of
Oregon, and received a NIMH Training Fellowship in rural mental health
while at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, where he received his
Master of Arts degree in rural community-clinical psychology.
Dennis has been a member of the Board of Directors for the National
Association for Rural Mental Health since 1987, and served as the
association’s President from 1992-1995. In 1996, Dennis was awarded the
Victor I. Howery Award for outstanding contributions to
rural mental health. In July 1993, Dennis was featured as one of
“Five Healthcare Heroes” in a feature article in Omni
magazine. In 2000, Dennis was named Outstanding Young Alumnus by
Mansfield University. Recently, he has been a keynote speaker at several
regional meetings focused on the integration of behavioral health and
primary care, sponsored by the Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA).