Cathy Moehring to Retire from Centerstone

Centerstone announced that Cathy Moehring, Vice President of Quality Improvement for Centerstone, will retire at the end of 2018 after nearly 40 years of service.

“Cathy has left her mark on the people she has served over the years, her team members and peers, along with our funders, and members of our board and the community,” said John Markley, CEO. “Her decades of knowledge and experience, along with her calm demeanor have made her a critically important leader in our organization.”

Moehring was born in California, but grew up in Du Quoin, IL. She graduated with honors from Southern Illinois University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts in both psychology and sociology.

“I fell into mental health care,” Moehring said. “I went into college not knowing really what I wanted to do and took general studies courses. One of the first courses I took was a basic psychology class, and it fascinated me. I loved learning about what makes us tick as human beings.”

She began her mental health care career at Perry County HELP as a Sustaining Care Counselor in July 1976 and then with the Jackson County Community Mental Health Center (a legacy organization of Centerstone), where she was responsible for a varied caseload of adults experiencing severe and persistent mental illness. Her work included providing task and skill training, environmental assistance, social training, assessments, among other duties.

From September 1982 to July 1985, Moehring was the Sustaining Care Supervisor for the same organization. In 1985, C Moehring went back to SIU to continue her education.

“Because of my experiences with clients, I wanted to have a voice at the decision-making table to be able to advocate for clients and impact decisions made on the clients’ behalf,” Moehring  said. “I thought the best way to do that was to go back to school and work towards becoming part of the administrative team.”

Moehring was supported by the organization to continue her education.

“I am very grateful and fortunate that I landed here because this company has been very flexible and worked with me whenever I felt like I needed change or there was something going on in my life, such as me wanting to go back to school,” she said. “I have always been provided opportunities and support to grow and change.”

While Moehring worked toward her master’s in public administration, she worked nights as an evening emergency counselor.

“I did assessments, counseling, referral of clients in crisis and consultations with various professionals,” Moehring said.

After Moehring graduated with honors with her master’s in 1988, she moved into a new position with the Jackson County Community Health Center – Supervisor of The Network, a volunteer, call-in hotline.

In 1989, Moehring was named the Emergency Program Director of Southern Illinois Regional Social Services (SIRSS), formerly known as Jackson County Community Health Center. In that role, Moehring was responsible for administration of the program that provided 24-hour crisis intervention and assessment to Jackson County.

“I really enjoyed crisis work,” Moehring said. “I found that helping people who were experiencing crisis events not only changed their lives but mine as well. I loved it.”

In April 1998, Moehring served as the Adult Outpatient Services Director of SIRSS. In April 1999, Moehring was named Quality Improvement Director for The H Group (formerly SIRSS).

“When I became interested in quality improvement and helping us become accredited, the organization really supported me and saw the value in having a quality improvement director,” Moehring said.

Over the course of her almost 40 years in the mental health care field, Moehring said she has valued many lessons learned, especially learning perspective.

“When you see people in crisis who feel they have no resources or hear the horrendous experiences people have endured, you learn perspective on your life,” Moehring said.

Moehring will officially retire on Dec. 31, 2018.

“I feel like I am leaving Centerstone in a really great place,” Moehring said. “Centerstone and its legacy organizations have always been team-oriented, pro-active, and focused on delivering care that changes people’s lives.”

Moehring said she looks forward to spending more time with her husband, children and grandchildren, but she said she will miss her Centerstone family.

“There’s so much that my work at Centerstone and the people I have worked with has given back to me,” Moehring said. “Centerstone will always mean so much to me.”