QR Volume 2- Final - Flipbook - Page 2
Letter from River Edge CEO:
Shannon T. Gordon, EdD, LCSW, CFRE
This quarterly report’s period end corresponds to our 2021 fiscal year end (June 30); June 30, 2021 completes our 71st
year serving central Georgia. Oh my, what a year this has been!
We begin budget planning each April for each fiscal year’s July 1 start. In April 2020, everyone was sheltered in place
for a yet–to–be determined time due to the COVID–19 pandemic. Though the initial CARES Act had been signed March
27, 2020, during our FY21 budget planning season, no one yet knew what – if any– of those funds would be available
locally. Accordingly, we built our revenue expense budget based on available facts, trimming expectations by
$6,000,000. Our goal? River Edge would weather the coronavirus storm and remain viable to serve long-term.
In the face of these great challenges – and the corresponding 24.7% increase in calls to our scheduling line for help with
the mental, emotional and coping challenges the pandemic brought – the River Edge team valiantly soldiered on in
service to our communities.
Our team kept every service line open – despite the fact that 121 of our team members contracted COVID–19, many
were hospitalized and one died.
Our team intervened in planned suicides, helped people be restored to their right minds, helped people find
recovery from substance use disorders and supported individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to
have meaningful lives, even though sheltered in place for months due to the Governor’s order.
As soon as was allowed, River Edge reopened socially distanced in–person group services and administered on–
site vaccination clinics.
As vaccinations became more widespread, we opened building access wider.
Know this: the heroic River Edge team remains engaged to serve. River Edge remains financially viable to deliver
clinically relevant services to our communities’ residents. Our focus is a future of service for decades to come.
Shannon
Chief Financial Officer Update:
Shane L. Hester, CPA appointed River Edge CFO
Shane L. Hester, CPA became Chief Financial Officer for River Edge Behavioral Health on May 1, 2021. Licensed as a
Georgia CPA for more than 15 years, Shane had served as River Edge Director of Finance since 2018.
Shane brings extensive regional and “Big 4” international accounting, risk advisory, and operational consulting
experience to his new role. Across his professional career, Shane has performed nearly 100 of accounting’s most
complex internal control audits, conducted Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, internal audit outsourcing, revenue assurance
engagements, and business process risk reviews, as well as control assessments for organizations across multiple
industry sectors. Shane’s former clients include Global 1000, Fortune 500 and regional companies.
Committed to fitness and a lover of most sports (especially golf), Shane grew up in Fort Valley. Shane, Katie and their
three children currently reside in Perry.
1