Wellness House ex-director acknowledges she misspent funds

YAKIMA -- Nan McCann, who recently resigned as executive director of Wellness House, said this morning she spent $10,000 of the nonprofit's money on herself because of a mental illness that causes her to shop compulsively to relieve stress.

McCann, 38, said she was diagnosed last summer with obsessive-compulsive disorder and is undergoing counseling.

The money was misspent by using the agency's credit card and overextending draws on certain accounts, McCann said.

In addition, she said she missed filing the nonprofit's annual incorporation papers with the secretary of state.

Wellness House has a $200,000 budget and five employees. It was founded 20 years ago on a shoestring as a novel experiment in offering community support to cancer patients and their families. Its mission has broadened to include other long-term diseases.

In a telephone interview with the Herald-Republic, McCann said she agreed last month to resign from Wellness House at the request of the board. In her resignation letter, she agreed to repay the funds when she found new employment. McCann and the board are working on a promisory note that would lead to repayment.

"We agreed that by resigning I could protect the organization and myself by stating my reason for resignation and that would be the company line as to why I left," she said.

Those reasons were to have been that she felt she needed a change and wanted more time for her family and herself. Board members and the interim executive director, Barb Petrea, said in interviews Wednesday that they became aware of the problems from certain employees and other board members with financial expertise.

McCann, who has four children, said she has not yet been able to find employment.

-- Leah Beth Ward