Ann Schumacher: A True Champion for Rural Mental
Health
With the death of Ann Schumacher, NARMH lost a special person and a true
champion for rural mental health. Ann was a board member, colleague,
and more importantly a friend who had an enthusiasm for life and was willing
to give of herself to others. It does feel like we have lost a family
member and we will mourn her loss.
Ann always had a smile on her face and loved the work that NARMH was
doing. Her love of people and her passion for NARMH was infectious.
So much so that saying “no” was not in her makeup. Ann became a
NARMH member in 2002 and in 2004 became a Board Member. Ann was first
a clinician and worked hard to improve her clinical skills. She was
always interested in keeping NARMH focused on rural providers to help them
connect with one another, learn new skills and bridge the gap between
researcher, clinicians and policy maker. She volunteered for countless
assignments including Conference Chair for NARMH’s Kansas City Conference
and Co-Chair for the 2012 conference in Alaska. Ann’s commitment and
value to the organization was recognized by her fellow board members who
elected her to the leadership positions of Secretary and later
President-Elect.
Ann’s death leaves a void not only for her children, her family, friends,
and colleagues, but for NARMH as well. She wanted to accomplish so
much for the organization. We should honor Ann’s passion and her
commitment by rededicating our efforts to improve access, availability,
acceptability and delivery of effective treatment of mental health and
substance abuse services in rural and frontier areas. Ann embodied the
spirit of NARMH’s mission "Linking Voices to Promote Rural Mental Health”
including a commitment to rural people and those that serve them.
Rick Peterson
President