城市中心

When the coronavirus pandemic began to upturn lives across the country, Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison knew that time was of the essence. As president and CEO of the Center for Health Care Services, LeBlanc Jamison M’88 oversees more than 30 locations where Bexar County residents receive a variety of services for mental health, 健康和药物使用.

Face-to-face interactions stopped seemingly overnight, 勒布朗·贾米森说, and given the “vulnerable nature of our population and criticality of their disease,中心迅速转动. 

Joking about her ready use of sports terminology with staff as the Center adapted, LeBlanc Jamison led the expansion of telehealth capabilities, improved cybersecurity measures and established a work-from-home policy. 

与大流行前的时代相反, more than 75% of patient interactions are now done via phone or through telehealth, 勒布朗·贾米森说. 不仅如此, but the Center’s “no-show” rate has plummeted and adherence to medication has improved, 她说.

“I think they feel safe connecting in their homes,勒布朗·贾米森谈到病人时说, noting a heightened need for services because of pandemic-induced uncertainties. 

Although COVID-19 has certainly brought its fair share of challenges, 她说 one upside has been a greater public recognition of mental health and combating a persistent stigma for those seeking treatment. 这也延伸到物质使用障碍.

Increased conversations around mental health and substance use are key to breaking down common misconceptions, 勒布朗·贾米森说. 

“As we grow the ability to talk about and embrace mental health and substance use as a disease and support those in need of treatment, 我们会过得更好,她说。, noting an influx in new patients as people cope with everything from job loss to family deaths to a new learning environment for students. 

LeBlanc Jamison—the former executive vice president and chief delivery officer for CPS Energy—found her way to the Center from retirement, called to give back to her adopted city of 圣安东尼奥. A Louisiana native, she came to the Alamo City for her master’s in urban studies. Although she originally entertained plans to attend law school, things changed when Earl 刘易斯—赌博娱乐平台网址大全’s first tenured Black professor—came on a recruiting trip to Southern University and A&巴吞鲁日的M学院. 刘易斯, 赌博娱乐平台网址大全城市研究项目主任, 和勒布朗·贾米森聊了起来, 然后是高年级学生, 并说服她的法学院可以等等. 

在她母亲的鼓励下, LeBlanc Jamison decided to stay in 圣安东尼奥 for an internship required by the program. 

“I accepted her advice and I took an internship with the City of 圣安东尼奥 and 24 years later, 我退休时是副城市经理,她说。, 笑. 

赌博娱乐平台网址大全’s reputation for producing leaders who can successfully run cities stems largely from 刘易斯’ tenure, 勒布朗·贾米森说. 她不仅记得他洪亮的嗓音, but also his passion for teaching and challenging students to think more broadly about the different aspects of government and inclusion. 

“He used to say, ‘Politics permeates all systems,’” LeBlanc Jamison recalls. “He would challenge us to think beyond those aspects of government that we assumed entering the program.” 

Today, LeBlanc Jamison also serves as a member of 赌博娱乐平台网址大全’s 校董会. After President Anderson approached her about joining the body, 勒布朗·贾米森接受了, not only because it offered an opportunity for her to give back to the school, but also because of her mother’s decades-long career in higher education.

“It was an opportunity for me to enjoy an aspect of her life and get to know more about it,她说。. LeBlanc Jamison complimented Anderson’s diversification of the board, which she calls “a very safe environment to have very robust conversations.” 

特别是, one thing LeBlanc Jamison is tracking closely are conversations at 赌博娱乐平台网址大全 around diversity and inclusion and how she can offer her voice to that space. 回到2020年6月, Anderson created the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force in an effort to foster a more inclusive future for the university. 

“That’s a goal of mine because I do believe in the 赌博娱乐平台网址大全 mission and I believe in their genuine efforts to enhance that experience for all at 赌博娱乐平台网址大全,勒布朗·贾米森说. “我希望能成为其中的一员.”