Heritage Behavioral Health Center

Congratulations to Aysha Ellison, this month's Employee Spotlight!

Q: How long have you been with the company?
A: I’ve been with HBHC for almost three years now.

Q: What is your favorite part of working at HBHC?
A: My favorite thing about working here is being able to make the smallest difference in my clients’ lives. I get to support them through their toughest and greatest moments, and I always remind them that it’s not about where you’ve been—it’s about where you’re going.

Q: What's one thing people don't know about you that they would be surprised to find out?
A: I enjoy watching Harry Potter movies—in order, back-to-back, more often than I probably should admit.

Q: What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
A: I would tell my younger self that you don’t have to have everything figured out right away. Trust the process, have faith in yourself, and give yourself grace along the way.

Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
A: If I had a superpower, I’d choose the ability to clone myself—one for work, one for home, and one just to take naps.

Q: What are your goals for the next few months/years?
A: My goal for the next year is to earn my Bachelors in Nursing.

Q: What’s one thing that surprised you about your current role?
A: Stepping into my role, I was SO nervous, but I quickly realized how fortunate I am to supervise such a great team of nurses. I love being able to work alongside them, support them, and grow with them.

Q: What are some of your favorite music genres/artists to listen to?
A: If you really know me, you know I’m a huge Lil Durk and Mariah the Scientist fan, but my music taste is honestly all over the place depending on my mood—you never really know what you’ll hear in my car.

Q: What, if anything, are you currently watching? Or reading?
A: Harry Potter of course, but I’ve also been binge-watching Bridgerton, which I’ve finally gotten into, and I’ve also started reading Keep It Shut by Karen Ehman.

Q: What’s one thing on your bucket list?
A: I really want to learn how to do pottery.

Are you looking for a career where your work truly matters? At Oasis, you will provide compassionate, person-centered support to adults experiencing housing instability or homelessness. You will help individuals access essential resources, navigate community systems, and connect to services. Your role is to foster trust, promote dignity, and empower individuals to work toward stability and recovery. Join us for open interviews on June 18th, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 243 W. Cerro Gordo in Decatur, Illinois.

James Arthur Baldwin (1924-1987) was a writer and civil rights activist. He was encouraged early on to continue his research and writing pursuits by teachers and his school principal. He was fascinated by theater and had a lifelong desire to be a playwright. When he was in high school, he had the realization that he was attracted to men rather than women, and uncomfortable with that he turned to religion. After his stepfather who was a preacher and laborer himself died in 1941, James left school to work and support his family. Working to lay railroad tracks for the military, he experienced prejudice, especially from his fellow white workmen. He also experienced prejudice in the way of being denied service at three separate restaurants. Over the years, he lost several jobs and ended up drinking heavily and enduring the first of several nervous breakdowns. He ended up spending the majority of his life traveling and writing essays and books based on the things he experienced and the state of civil issues. Despite experiencing several nervous breakdowns and depression due to dealing with prejudice, he also found his place as a spokesperson for civil rights. While he did not apply the label of "gay" to himself as he felt it was too narrow and limiting, he had relationships with both men and women in his life. According to Dwight A. McBride, a scholar of African American and literary studies, Baldwin saw the world in such terms that made him not "exclusively gay, black, expatriate, activist, or the like", but rather an intricate amalgamation of all of those things.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin

Happy Pride Month 2026 from Heritage! Everyone deserves to have good mental health and wellbeing. If you or someone you know is an LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, text "Start" to 678-678. This will connect you to an expert in assisting LGBTQ+ youth. You can also call the following:
Su***de Hotline: 988
Coming Out Hotline: 888-OUT-LGBT (688-5428)
LGBT National Help Center (Youth): 800-246-7743
LGBT National Help Center (Senior): 800-234-7243

If you are having a mental health crisis, you can also reach out to the Heritage Crisis line at 217-217-HBHC (4242).

Congratulations to all of our employees celebrating their work anniversaries this month! Thank you all and keep up the great work!

Employee survey feedback has earned Heritage a 2026 Work-Life Flexibility award from Top Workplaces. As we have always kept mental health and well-being a priority in the services we provide, it is more important than ever that we extend that focus to those providing the services, our employees. One very popular benefit Heritage offers is called Wellness Days. Every full-time employee gets a set day every other week as a paid day off! Wellness Days are provided so that employees can take extra time to take care of their mental and physical health, without worrying about taking time off work.