Our Wyandot family is mourning the loss of Rita Hoag, a longtime mental health advocate who served as Chairperson of our Western Wyandotte Advisory Council for 15 years. Rita passed away in January after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
As the leader of the Western Wyandotte Advisory Council, Rita brought together a group of passionate people from the Bonner Springs and Edwardsville areas to advise Wyandot BHN administrators and managers on how we could best meet the needs of folks living in the western part of our county. Her passion and wisdom over the years has been immensely valuable to us as an organization.
During her years on the council, Rita’s passion for mental health advocacy was always evident. She was instrumental in developing trainings and helped us connect with the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville school district. She also organized yearly proclamations for Mental Health Month with the mayors of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. Rita cared deeply about people who struggled with their mental health. Her dedication to increasing awareness of and access to mental health services has helped countless people across Wyandotte County.
“Rita will be deeply missed by all of us at Wyandot,” says Randy Callstrom, Wyandot BHN President and CEO. “Rita’s contributions to increasing awareness of mental health in our community were significant and we are deeply grateful for her efforts over the years.”