'It was not a job to Gary:' Transitions Mental Health Services CEO Gary Weinstein remembered for work in mental health services

May 25—When mental health care in the Quad-Cities is discussed, it's impossible not to mention Gary Weinstein. The Transitions Mental Health Services CEO spent his career fostering a connected community of mental health services, helping individual clients and organizations.

"It was not a job to Gary, it was a life calling, a life passion, and an eagerness to always improve that area," said Gene Krismanits, treasurer in the Transitions Mental Health Services board of directors.

Now his colleagues and friends are remembering Weinstein's legacy after his death May 18 at the age of 65.

The list of groups and initiatives Weinstein was involved with is large and varied, going back decades. Beyond his role as CEO of Transitions Mental Health Services, Weinstein also served as a committee member of the Mercer County Mental Health Coalition, QC Behavioral Health Coalition, University of Iowa QC Advisory Committee and was on the board of the Illinois Partners for Human Services. In the past he held terms as president of the River Valley Mental Health Coalition and past president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Illinois.

Cathie Rochau, a member of the Transitions Mental Health Services Board of Directors, said it was obvious from the moment she met Weinstein that he truly cared about the work and the people he was working with. He was the go-to person to discuss the various aspects of the mental health care industry, as he had a wealth of knowledge on the subject and a passion for improving it.

"He just had such a calming effect in his mannerisms and the way he spoke. he kind of commanded the room but in a kind of a quiet, quiet way," Rochau said. "Just a very easy man to get to know."

In his work facilitating accessible mental health care in the Quad-Cities, Weinstein also helped create the Quad Cities Open Network, a group of nonprofit human services providers that collaborate to create an active, all-encompassing system of care.

Weinstein got his start in the mental health field through social work, Krismanits said. He graduated with a master's degree in social work from the University of Iowa just as he was hired as Transitions Mental Health Services' CEO in 1990. He had previously worked for Transitions, then known as the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Rock Island and Mercer Counties, as a residential monitor.

At the time, Krismanits said, there wasn't much in the way of mental health services organizations in the area. Weinstein was proactive in seeking groups interested in mental health services out when he heard about them, creating connections throughout the mental health field that would eventually shift into the Quad Cities Open Network. He never had an ego about his role in facilitating these connections, Krismanits said, moving forward with the belief that the more organizations involved in mental health care, the better.

He always worked with a smile on his face and an eye to the future, Krismanits said, looking at trends and policies that would affect the mental health field. However, no matter how many pots he had his hand in, Weinstein always gave the people around him all his attention, from friends to family to coworkers. His legacy is one of focus, kindness and attention.

"You always felt when when you were talking with Gary or when you were interacting, whether it be on board level or personal level, you always felt that you were very important, and that he was going to focus everything that was going on in that conversation or that sit down or that meeting or whatever, on on you and not on him.

"Gary was the kind of guy you looked forward to seeing," Krismanits said.

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