Andrews Center Behavioral Healthcare System

08/06/2025

We are excited to announce that Samantha Heard has been named Chief Operating Officer at Andrews Behavioral Health.

“Samantha brings a wealth of experience across the behavioral health landscape,” said Becki Mangum, Andrews Chief Executive Officer. “She also has East Texas family roots, and we feel her expertise and wide-ranging knowledge will benefit our operations for years to come.”

Samantha’s experience ranges from ER psych and inpatient psychiatric hospitals to long-term care, community mental health, and private practice.

Most recently, she served as Assistant Director of Clinical Supervision at the Altshuler Center for Education and Research at MetroCare Services in Dallas.

A U.S. Army veteran, Samantha was commissioned as a CPT and served as a behavioral health officer, taking on leadership roles such as Chief of Family Advocacy and Chief of Social Work Services.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education, Leadership, and Organization, further deepening her commitment to thoughtful, effective care.

Please join us in welcoming Samantha to the Andrews team!

08/04/2025

Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed can be an early sign of depression.

Many find that surprising. Depression is usually thought of as feeling sad—but often, the first and most telling change is a quiet loss of joy.

• Skipping your favorite hobby?
• Avoiding friends or family?
• Struggling to care about work—or even fun things?

These shifts can creep in slowly, making them easy to dismiss. But sometimes, losing interest is your mind’s way of asking for help.

At Andrews Behavioral Health, we believe recognizing these early changes matters—whether it’s for yourself or someone you care about. The sooner we notice, the sooner we can support each other.

We care. We share. — Andrews Behavioral Health

08/01/2025

🏅 Celebrating Employee of the Month: Shawn Hickman

Our ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) team works with some of the most clinically complex individuals, often called the "sickest of the sick." That means staff are often out in the field, providing intensive services directly where clients live. It’s not unusual to knock on a door and get no answer—sometimes clients simply choose not to engage.

But on July 17 when Shawn Hickman, ACT Team case manager, arrived at a client’s home and got no response, she didn’t walk away. She thought she heard faint movement inside and trusted her instincts that something wasn’t right.

Knowing this client lives alone, is diabetic, and has very limited contact outside of the ACT team, Shawn grew concerned. When the property manager wasn’t available to open the unit, she kept calling out. Eventually, she heard the client respond—but his speech was slurred and unclear.

Relying on her training and gut instinct, Shawn called EMS. First responders entered through a window and found the client lying on the floor, disoriented and unable to communicate. He was rushed to the hospital and treated for a potentially life-threatening condition.

Shawn’s quick thinking, persistence, and deep care may have saved this client’s life. Her persistent and intuitive actions went far beyond what’s expected and showed exceptional dedication, compassion, and professionalism.

We’re proud to recognize Shawn Hickman as our Employee of the Month. Her commitment reflects the very best of the ACT team and Andrew’s Behavioral Health. 💙

07/29/2025

Earlier this month, Andrews was part of the Regions 7 Education Center Teacher Conference in Kilgore. These pic were taken during event set-up, but over the course of the event, teachers from more than 90 counties attended.

Andrews views such outreach events as being core to our mission as a Licensed Mental Health Authority as designated by the State of Texas. An LMHA plans, coordinates, and delivers mental health services within a specific geographic area, in our case Henderson, Rains, Van Zandt, Wood, and Smith counties. We're also glad to assist our fellow LMHAs in providing education and outreach.

LMHAs assess community needs and ensure that appropriate services—like crisis care, outpatient treatment, and rehabilitation—are available and accessible.

Be sure to take our community needs assessment survey to help us better understand local mental health resource needs. www.andrewscenter.com

07/24/2025

🔥 It’s hot out there, East Texas — and just like a thermometer rising on a summer day, our survey participation is climbing! 📈

We’re grateful for everyone who has completed our survey! So far, the majority of responders are women 👩— but men’s mental health matters too! 👨

We need to hear from everyone who lives or works in the five counties Andrews Behavioral Health serves:
📍 Henderson
📍 Rains
📍 Van Zandt
📍 Wood
📍 Smith County (currently in the lead! )

To get the full picture of community needs in our area, we need more voices from folks who know what life is like in East Texas. This survey is open to everyone, whether or not you receive services from Andrews Behavioral Health.

🕔 Take 5 minutes to add your voice and help push us all closer to the goal!

✅ Survey in English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CMJCMZZ

✅ Survey in Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JM9KGKV

You can also access both surveys from the homepage of the Andrews Behavioral Health website 💻 at www.andrewscenter.com

Please share this with your friends. Thank you for your time and support! 💙

07/24/2025

Congratulations to Heather Hallett, who just celebrated 30 years with Andrews Behavioral Health. Heather is currently our IDD (Intellectual and Development Disabilities) Director, but she has held numerous other roles during her tenure. She has been Employee of the Month several times and is consistently known for going above and beyond to ensure our clients are cared for in an effective and caring way.

As Andrews CEO Becki Mangum said at yesterday’s board meeting where Heather was honored, “we are lucky to have someone like Heather. Her scope of service and commitment to our mission is unparalleled.”

07/20/2025

Andrews Behavioral Health had a wonderful time today supporting the Love Thy City celebration. We had a booth with other mental health-related organizations, and we offered a great lineup of speakers who led breakout sessions. We presented educational sessions on dealing with trauma, being well in all areas of life, working through challenging family situations, su***de prevention, children and depression, and more.

The mission of Love Thy City is to display the love of Christ and the people of Tyler for each other through giving and helping in a variety of ways. Love Thy City Founder Bishop DeMarcus Pierson said that by 2 p.m. today, more than 9,000 people had attended the event.

The event concludes tonight with LoveFest, a big revival-type event in the Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. What a great opportunity for the people of Tyler to come together!

07/16/2025

https://www.ketk.com/video/andrews-behavioral-health-wants-east-texans-to-voice-their-mental-health-needs/10881939

Take a look at an interview on KETK with Mari Gutierrez, our CCBHC Program Director and Su***de Prevention Coordinator. The subject was the Community Needs Assessment Survey that we are currently conducting to better understand mental healthcare resource needs in our community.

The survey is extremely important in helping providers in our region better understand how to allocate mental healthcare resources. We want to hear from you. Please take the survey and share with friends who might want to let their voice be heard on this topic as well.

Learn more at www.andrewscenter.com

Andrews Behavioral Health wants East Texans to help their mental healthcare work by filling out their Community Mental Health Needs Assessment Survey. Visit this article to learn more: https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/mental-health-needs-east-texas/ KETK/FOX51 News covers East Texas, bringing yo...

07/11/2025

Help a friend. A neighbor. A child. 💙

Your voice matters — and it could be the reason someone gets the behavioral healthcare they need.

We're asking community members in Smith, Henderson, Rains, Van Zandt, and Wood counties to take part in a short Community Needs Assessment Survey. It only takes about six minutes, but the impact could last for years.

Your input will help local healthcare providers better understand the mental health needs in our area and shape the services and support systems we all depend on.

📢 Take the survey. Share it with others. Be part of the solution.

English version: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CMJCMZZ

Spanish version: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JM9KGKV

07/07/2025

Amanda Fitzgerald consistently goes above and beyond in her role as an adult case manager She demonstrates compassion, initiative, and calm leadership in challenging situations.

One day this past spring, Amanda was driving past Andrews, when the center was closed. Amanda noticed a man outside who needed help. Although it was not a work day for Amanda, she stopped and visited with the gentleman. She learned that he was homeless and had various needs. Amanda set up a care plan to stay in touch and offered support to help him with food and shelter.

Her colleague, Carla Carlock-Self, shared another example of Amanda’s dedication—during a tense moment in our Veterans’ emergent housing program, Amanda skillfully deescalated conflict and brought calm to the group. "She always keeps her cool," Carla said.

Amanda credits her success to the strong leadership around her, saying, "I’m grateful to work with such a supportive team of leaders."

07/03/2025

Congratulations to Michelle Jones, Team Lead for the Andrews Mobile Crisis Outreach Team, who received our June Employee of the Month Award.

MCOT responds when someone is experiencing a serious mental health challenge and can’t or won’t come in to get help. Our MCOT works to deescalate mental health emergencies at the scene and support those who may have witnessed or been involved in a traumatic incident. Although many are not aware of MCOT's role, it is an absolutely vital service to our community.

Here’s what some of our Andrews “mountain movers” said about Michelle’s commitment to going above and beyond:

“Michelle is a steady and compassionate presence on the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team. She shows up each day with quiet strength and unwavering dedication. In the face of chaos, she remains calm. She is not easily shaken. Her response is always measured, professional, and rooted in care.”

“Her patience, clarity, and genuine desire to see her colleagues succeed make her an outstanding mentor and resource for the team. Michelle maintains a positive attitude and consistently wears a smile, making a lasting impact on everyone she works with.”

06/29/2025

Help us understand what matters most to you by taking our Community Needs Assessment Survey. Your opinion is vital in letting us know how we should invest in resources to meet your needs. Just click: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CMJCMZZ

Here's the link for the Spanish version of the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JM9KGKV

In only eight minutes, you’ll be making a difference for yourself, your loved ones, and our entire community. This survey is confidential and gives you the chance to share your unique perspective about the challenges and opportunities in accessing mental health services.

Together, we will use this information to create innovative solutions, expand services, and enhance wellness across East Texas!