Executive director leaves March 31 after overseeing trio of agencies

by Matthew Weaver<br>Herald Staff Writer
| March 17, 2006 8:00 PM

MOSES LAKE — When Sharon Kiehn leaves the Grant Mental Healthcare building for the last time later this month, she won't have much time to breathe.

Kiehn will go from her position as executive director of Grant Mental Healthcare, Grant County Developmental Disabilities and New Hope Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, to take the position of vice president at the Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health in Yakima on April 3.

"It was a choice issue," Kiehn said. "I'm excited to get started."

Kiehn is retiring from the county after 30 years.

In 1976, arriving in Moses Lake with her husband Kurtis, Kiehn was hired out of college to be the director of the Juniper Ridge Group Home, at a time when developmentally disabled patients were being deinstitutionalized. One of Kiehn's first undertakings in her new position was to help transition several people into the community.

In 1985, Kiehn was appointed executive director of Grant Mental Healthcare and Grant County Developmental Disabilities. In 1999, the agency providing domestic violence and sexual assault services lost its accreditation, so the community asked Kiehn to oversee those services.

"Honestly, I didn't want to do it, and I'm so glad we did," Kiehn said. "The reason I didn't want to do it is because I was afraid we couldn't meet the budget and meet the demands. And now New Hope is providing services in both Grant and Adams County."

Kiehn believes her volunteerism through Girl Scouts and other high school volunteer activities are what started her down her chosen career path.

"I really felt that I would want to make a difference," she said.

Kiehn gives much credit to her staff.

"I'm just at the helm, but we've been able to recruit a fabulous workforce, and people's lives improve significantly," she said. "To see someone move from an institution to their own home is just incredible, and how much better they do having friends, finding a job. People don't realize the individuals we serve are contributing members of society."

Another strength to working in Grant County is the collaboration of agencies like law enforcement, health care providers and other social services, Kiehn said.

"There are so many partners that help to improve people's lives throughout the county," she said.

Kiehn considers her greatest achievement with Grant Mental Healthcare the organization's becoming accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, as well as construction of the three-year-old facility where the agency is presently based.

"This is a wonderful resource for the community," she said. "When people come here for services, they feel good in this nice building."

While serving people with severe and persistent mental illnesses, Kiehn said the mental health agency also helps people who are just going through a crisis.

"That's a great joy, to get people connected to services," she said. "That just lights me up."

Kiehn feels the agency's role as the first response to the shooting at Frontier Middle School in February 1996 helped educate people about the importance of mental health services.

For Developmental Disabilities, Kiehn said she is proudest of taking people from the group home into their own home to directed community living, where people live in their own homes with 24-hour support, which she said was very controversial when it first started.

"The parents who supported it are so glad we did it," she said. "One of the most exciting things when we did that is someone who didn't speak, began to speak. Can you imagine that? Just change of environment."

The implementation of New Hope has provided help for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

"To see people who are victims to get services so their lives can improve, that's been real rewarding," Kiehn said. When New Hope first began, the agency was so small Kiehn had to take shifts as a volunteer. "That was really important to do, to get a real understanding of what it is like to be a victim."

Grant Mental Healthcare served more than 2,800 people in 2005. New Hope served more than 1,400 and Developmental Disabilities programs serve about 115 people.

The community doesn't realize how fortunate they are to have such committed professionals throughout Grant County, Kiehn said, adding the hard part is going to be leaving her staff and members of the community.

Christal White will serve as acting director in Kiehn's place until a permanent replacement is found.