St. Louis, Mo, Aug. 12, 2020 – Pat Coleman, Behavioral Health Response (BHR) president and CEO, has been recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as a ‘Most Influential Business Woman,’ Class of 2020.The award recognizes women who demonstrate high levels of achievement and leadership throughout their careers and make an impact in the community.
For more than 24 years, Coleman has worked for BHR to ensure barrier-free mental health care access to all in the eastern region of Missouri. Among Coleman’s achievements, she and her team led the development of advanced technology (texting, chat and video conferencing), of BHR’s 24-hour crisis call center, which serves more people in mental distress. Each year, BHR sees an increase in crisis calls. Last year, the crisis hotline received an 11 percent increase in crisis calls, (84,501 calls), then its previous year.
“Pat’s exceptional leadership continues to position BHR for growth. She is committed to making mental health services accessible to all who need them by being creative and innovative with programs and delivery of care models. On behalf of the board, we are pleased Pat is a recipient of this award,” said BHR Board Chair, Barbi Karl.
Coleman is passionate about giving back and paying it forward. She is a strong advocate of helping others succeed, especially the next generation of women leaders. She recognizes the challenges women face in climbing the proverbial career ladder and believes she has a personal responsibility to develop talent within BHR as well as help women in other industry sectors. As an example, BHR’s leadership team is comprised of more than 60 percent women
St. Louis Business Journal received over 200 nominations and Coleman was among 25 exemplary women recognized for their leadership.
About BHR
Established in 1994, BHR is a nonprofit organization providing 24-hour telephone crisis intervention support as well as mobile outreach, telehealth, community referrals and training to people in mental health crises and the community at large in St. Louis and the counties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Warren, Iron, St. François and Washington.
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