MHCA - Meeting the Challenges of Today's Behavioral Healthcare

The H Group Merges with SIRSS

Tara Boyter — 2/3/2012 11:36:26 AM

The leadership of two prominent Southern Illinois social service agencies � The H Group and Southern Illinois Regional Social Services (SIRSS) - announced February 1 that their Boards of Directors have voted to merge their two agencies. MHCA member John Markley, CEO of The H Group (pictured at left), and Karen Freitag, Executive Director of SIRSS, jointly announced this merger to their staff, funders and community leadership. Both The H Group and SIRSS grew out of the same organization over 50 year ago, so the merger, effective July 1st of this year, reunifies the two agencies. The merged agency will retain the name of The H Group. John Markley will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer and Karen Freitag will serve as Chief Administrative Officer. A smooth transition is expected largely thanks to a rigorous due diligence review that has been conducted on both agencies� finances, governance, personnel policies and other critical issues.

Mel Burks Named CEO of Indiana's Hamilton Center

Tara Boyter — 1/30/2012 10:54:32 AM

On January 19, Hamilton Center, Inc. announced its Board of Director's unanimous decision to name Mel Burks as Chief Executive Officer there after a lengthy search process conducted by an outside consultant. Burks has worked for the Terre Haute based company in various capacities for the last 32 years. He has lead the Center in an interim capacity since September when he stepped in during the brief illness of former longtime CEO Galen Goode, who then died in October. Hamilton Center is a leading behavioral health provider in Central and West Indiana serving 10 counties and over 15,000 consumers annually.

Neu Joins MHCA Staff

Tara Boyter — 1/23/2012 9:15:25 AM

MHCA is pleased to announce the selection of Edward "Ed" Neu to become our National Data Center Director at the retirement of Nancy Maudlin. Ed has already joined the staff and is working with Nancy as she prepares to vacate the position March 1. With considerable experience in data analysis and process improvement, Ed will be an excellent fit for this important work. He has most recently served as Chief Information Officer for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and was the Chief of Decision Support Services and a Senior Program Evaluator there as well. Since 2008 he has served as a volunteer Senior Examiner for the Governor's Sterling Council, contributing over 200 hours per year to train examiners and evaluate public and private organizations using the Baldridge Criteria for Organizational Performance Excellence. From 1989 to 2000 Ed worked in various analyst and administrative positions within the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. He even has community mental health experience! In the mid-1980s Ed provided quality assurance and program evaluation support to Archways, Broward County Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. MHCA members will have an opportunity to meet Ed soon at our February conference in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Now It's Three in Mississippi

Tara Boyter — 1/19/2012 4:49:23 PM

MHCA is pleased to announce the addition of a third member in Mississippi. Delta Community Mental Health Services, under the leadership of Executive Director Richard D. Duggin, became a member in mid-January. Located in Greenville, Mississippi, Delta CMHS operates with a $10 million budget serving Sharkey, Issaquena, Washington and Bolivar Counties. Duggin became the Exec in 2009 after serving three years as Site Director for MHCA member Carey Counseling in Paris, Tennessee. He has over 25 years of experience in business adminsitration at several Fortune 100 and 200 organizations. Welcome Delta!

Ohio's Columbus Area, Inc. Joins MHCA

Tara Boyter — 1/19/2012 4:41:32 PM

After visiting MHCA's Fall 2011 Conference, Janie E.Bailey, ACSW, LISW-S, LICDC decided MHCA was the right place to be for entrepreneurial interaction! Bailey, who is President/CEO of Columbus Area, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, made it official January 1 with a commitment to MHCA membership. Columbus Area, Inc. serves Franklin County and in 2010 marked its 45th anniversary of providing services to the area. It operates with a budget of $13 million and 150 employees. Bailey has led the organization since 1995 and is a governing member of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County and the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Service Providers.

Finalists Chosen for 2012 Negley Awards

Tara Boyter — 12/14/2011 8:48:04 AM

Asked to describe how to keep people safe in the workplace, members of MHCA, the National Council and shareholders in MHRRG stepped forward this fall to submit applications in the 2012 Negley Awards competition. Judging the applications were members of the MHRRG Board of Directors. Their choices for top three candidates have been announced: David Lawrence Center (Naples, FL), Grafton Integrated Health Network (Winchester, VA), and Lifestream Behavioral Center (Leesburg, FL). Representatives of these three mental health centers will make presentations to MHCA in February where their ranking will be determined. They will receive cash awards at the National Council's conference in April ($10,000 for first place and $5,000 for the two runners up). The Awards are sponsored by Negley Associates, Inc., underwriting managers for Mental Health Risk Retention Group.

Kopera Earns Lifetime Achievement Award

Tara Boyter — 12/12/2011 2:35:14 PM

Dr. Anthony Kopera, President and CEO of Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) and former Board Chairman of MHCA, has been honored by the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois with its 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Kopera will retire from C4 on March 1, 2012 after a 32-year tenure. The award recognizes Dr. Kopera's "meritorious service and demonstrated commitment to consumers, families, the field, and the behavioral healthcare community in Illinois, Chicago and across the country, as well as his years of nationally recognized leadership" at C4. Under Kopera's leadership, C4 expanded from an outpatient clinic to a nationally recognized agency highly regarded for its innovation and culturally competent care that reaches more than 15,000 low-income adults and children. Dr. Kopera is a former member and President of CBHA's board of Directors and has chaired the organization's Public Policy Committee since 1997. CBHA President Frank Anselmo praised Kopera as a "national and statewide thought leader" in mental health care. "Tony has encouraged CBHA and its members to strive for excellence in developing and implementing quality behavioral health care services for working poor Illinois residents," Anselmo observed. "He has encouraged his peers to take an active advocacy role and often led the effort, adding his own voice to policy discussions that shape so much of what is done in Illinois." CBHA, a statewide association representing more than 95 not for profit providers of mental health, substance use treatment and services for youth, is recognized as an influential force in advocating for state policies and funding that support community behavioral health. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Kopera at CBHA's annual conference December 5 at the Hyatt Regency in Woodfield, Illinois.