This edition of the Magellan Quarterly Peak features a highlight of Rebekah Nansel, MBA, BSW, Provider Relations Manager of the IBHP.

What do you love the most about working at Magellan?
Working at Magellan gives me the opportunity to support my community in a meaningful way. I spent 10 years in the provider community before joining Magellan, and my family and friends have relied on behavioral health services locally, so this work is very personal to me. My passion is behavioral health, and I value being able to use both my personal and professional experience to help strengthen the system of care in Idaho.

Even as our state faces difficult challenges with Medicaid budgets, cuts, and service reductions, I remain hopeful that we can come together to build a continuum of care that meets the needs of all Idahoans. Change will not happen overnight, and there have been significant setbacks, but I am grateful to be in a role where I can support providers, share insights, and contribute to positive change in our communities.

What inspires your work in behavioral health? 
I have a deep passion for helping people, shaped by both my personal and professional experiences in behavioral health. My lived experience as the child of a parent with serious and persistent mental illness, as a parent of three children with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges, and as someone who has reached a place of recovery myself, has shown me how transformative high-quality services can be. I also know firsthand the pain of not having access to needed care and the frustration of navigating a system that is not working. Seeing the powerful changes that occur when services truly meet the needs of an individual or family motivates me every day. I want that opportunity for everyone, so that no person or family goes without essential support and all people have the chance to reach recovery and live to their fullest potential.

What did you do prior to working for Magellan?
I am a nerdy social worker at heart. I hold a bachelor’s degree in social work and have worked directly with individuals, facilitated groups, and served as a program manager in two FQHCs. I have built and run community-based service teams, including peer services and skills-building programs, and I have a strong passion for peer services.

Earlier in my career, I partnered with Optum and the Idaho Federation of Families to help implement family support partner services statewide, including training agencies and new family peer specialists and collaborating on service implementation. I have also worked as a project director on CCBHC grants and supported the expansion of SUD services in previous roles. I pursued my MBA to continue my focus on macro-level and program social work in behavioral health, and I love building new programs and initiatives that help meet the needs of communities.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 
I share my life with about 50 chickens and ducks, and I live in the woods in northern Idaho with my three dogs and two cats. My husband and I have six children between us, ranging in age from 15 to 21. I love summers in North Idaho, especially spending time on the lakes and rivers kayaking.

In my downtime, I enjoy watching medical or legal dramas, and I am not above a good trashy reality show now and then. I love great food and enjoy cooking, especially when I can host big family gatherings at my home filled with chaos and laughter.