Legend dedicates life to developing counseling services for those who are abused, neglected

Actions speak louder than words.

For those of you who know William (Bill) F. Heineke, PhD, you know this statement is one that he lives by.

Campbell County Health leadership recognizes this, and has awarded Bill with its most prestigious award: the Legend Award. For those of you who don't know, CCH defined a Legend as, "Those people who have left an indelible impression on our minds because of their deeds and actions. Ongoing demonstration of hard work, compassion, and a reputation for greatness make someone a legend."

Bill has worked at CCH Behavioral Health Services for 31 years. Prior to his work at CCH, he worked at Northeastern Wyoming Community Mental Health in its Gillette, Wyoming office.

“When that five county agreement was dissolved, I continued as a mental health clinician at CCH,” Bill says. “CCH has given me strong and unwavering support in developing and providing needed services for abused/neglected persons, especially children. I’m grateful for that.”

For Bill, providing excellence every day has everything to do with the action of providing services to those in need.

According to Jeff Rice, the Director of the Behavioral Health Services Department at Campbell County Memorial Hospital, Bill is looked up to as a mentor to all staff in the department.

“His love of children is unquestionable. He has been tireless in the pursuit of children’s health and wellbeing in our community,” says Jeff. “He has single handedly designed, supervised and run the Children’s Summer Group Treatment Program, which touches the lives of hundreds of children a year—and he’s held the program for 30 plus years.”

Recognizably called the Summer Program throughout the community, it was designed to help troubled children and their families to stay connected to counseling services throughout the summer. For those who don’t know, the Program provides individual and group counseling experiences for children and families in need. Professional staff designs activities for children—who are Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade—to help them make positive recreational choices and learn how to take responsibility for behaviors, as well as develop social skills, problem-solving skills, conflict resolution skills, and much more. The children learn these skills by participating in activities such as art projects, bowling, day trips out-of-town, parks, swimming, and yoga, among others—as well as participating in group counseling sessions.

“The summer program speaks volumes of Bill and his commitment to children and our community,” says Deb Tonn, CCH Vice President of Patient Care Services. “This program has made a positive impact on our community, and families.”

Darylene Wadsack, BSW, who works as a department secretary for BHS, says she was inspired to work in health care because she wanted to work with the Summer Program to help make a difference in the lives of kids who are having difficulties at school, in life, and at home. She calls Dr. Bill her health care hero. "I met Dr. Bill through the Campbell County School District when I was working as a paraprofessional with kids who had behavioral problems. Dr. Bill was so focused on helping the kids of this town through his counseling practice and through the Children's Summer Program that I applied to work for CCH,” she says. “After working with Dr. Bill that summer, I was inspired to stay and be a part of what he and BHS were doing for our community.”

Renee Rhoades, an Insurance Specialist BHS, also calls Dr. Bill her hero. “William is so passionate about recovery for adolescents and connects with every single patient in a very unique way. He does an excellent job with directing the Summer Program. This community is so fortunate to have such an amazing program like this and Bill and his staff work hard to make it so successful,” she says.

Bill says his inspiration to work in health care came from his mother, who helped many people—especially Native Americans. “She shared with me her strong commitment to public service,” says Bill.

When Bill is not at work, he loves spending time with his better half, Betty. The pair enjoys cycling and traveling to ride rails-to-trails across the country—a network of trails from former railroad lines. Bill calls himself a life-long archer who greatly enjoys competitions and bow-hunting. He was recently elected to be the president of the Wyoming State Archery Association.

“As president, I am putting in place a program called Bow-hunters Targeting Hunger, which is giving recognition to those bow-hunters who donate an animal through their processors to a local food bank or community kitchen,” says Bill.

He also says that he’s an avid reader, and greatly enjoys writing—he’s currently working on several projects for publication.

For Bill, the Legend Award is recognition and appreciation of one’s work in their call to service. CCH believes that Bill has stepped up to his call to service in a great way.

Thank you for your dedication to the children and families in need in our community, Bill. You have left a lasting impression.