Paul Dupre, M.Th.
Professional
Affiliations
Paul is the executive director of Washington County Mental Health
Services, Inc. a comprehensive community mental health center in Montpelier,
Vermont. Paul is also a former City Councilor and Mayor of Barre, Vermont
the sister-city of Montpelier. He is a board member of the Vermont
Association for Mental Health, the Vermont Council of Developmental and
Mental Health Services, the Vermont Behavioral Health Network and the
Laraway School. He is on the advisory board of the Commissioner of
Mental Health’s Transformational Council and the Vermont State Hospital.
NARMH Positions and Projects
Paul was elected to the NARMH board this year, for his third term.
He is the treasurer and is also facilitating the NARMH legislative agenda.
Paul looks forward to working closely with President Rick Peterson on the
many challenging issues facing rural mental health consumers, families and
providers.
Rural Mental Health Involvement and Contributions
Paul’s employment with WCMHS began in 1978. He assisted in the start up
of one of Vermont’s first group homes for patients from the Vermont State
Hospital who required a therapeutic residence in order to come back to the
community. From there, he helped develop housing in partnership with the
local land trust, HUD and other community resources. These housing and
service options have been instrumental in keeping WCMHS average usage of
State Hospital beds at less then five per day. Paul worked closely with the
former executive director, consumers, families, advocates and staff in
developing and implementing a recovery philosophy in community settings. As
a current member and former chair of the legislative committee for the
Vermont Council of Developmental and Mental Health Services, he is active in
the legislative process and works with consumers, families, advocates and
staff in advocating directly with their elected representatives.