MAYVILLE — The Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene recently announced new leadership and membership to the Chautauqua County Community Services Board.

Under the Article 41 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law, each county is required to maintain a local governmental unit to guide the delivery of mental health, substance abuse and developmentally disabled services in their areas. The units were given authority under state law to provide technical assistance and oversight to local mental health services that operate in the communities they serve. They are responsible for planning within their county and geographic areas consistently with statewide goals and objectives.

On January 27, 2021, Kate Hentz, a Westfield resident and longtime member of the Community Services Board, assumed the role of chairperson of the Board. Hentz holds a master’s degree in social work with a career spanning 34 years in her field.

“Throughout my career as a social worker, I’ve been committed to serving vulnerable populations,” Hentz said. “I look forward to serving as the chair of the CSB so that I can continue to ensure that the residents of Chautauqua County have access to the behavioral health services they need.”

Tony Raffa, the former chairperson, recently resigned from the board in order to spend more time with his family. Raffa served the residents of the county for more than 20 years as a Community Services Board member and as board chair for a significant portion of that time.

New board members include: Christine Schuyler, director of Chautauqua County Department of Health & Human Services; Alicia Snow, physician Assistant at The Chautauqua Center; and Amanda Gesing, grants director at Jamestown Public Schools.

For more information, call Misty Pennington at 753-4106.