Wayne Young to Lead AHA's Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services

(WASHINGTON) February 3, 2016 – Wayne Young, senior vice president, behavioral health, JPS Health Network in Fort Worth, Texas, is the 2016 chair of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Constituency Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services. The governing council represents 1,660 behavioral health providers across the country. During his one-year term, Young and the 17 -person governing council will work with the AHA to identify ways to define and focus AHA policy, advocacy and member resources to improve the quality, efficiency and delivery of psychiatric and substance abuse services.

As leader of the JPS Health Network’s behavioral health services, Young has responsibility for a full continuum of behavioral health services that includes a psychiatric emergency center with 20,000 visits annually, two inpatient psychiatric facilities (96 and 36 beds), four partial hospitalization programs, six behavioral health outpatient clinics, a school-based behavioral health clinic, robust peer support services and a network of embedded behavioral health specialists providing integrated care at primary care sites throughout Tarrant County. In addition to his behavioral health responsibilities, Young provides the general leadership and direction for his organization’s regional anchor role in the Texas 1115 Healthcare Transformation Waiver designed to incentive hospitals and other providers to transform care delivery to improve quality, patient experience, coordination and cost-effectiveness.

Prior to joining JPS in 2008, Young served as the regional executive director of a managed behavioral health care organization and has held other leadership positions within the behavioral health and insurance fields. Additionally, he is an adjunct instructor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center. Young is actively involved in several professional and community organizations. He serves as the chair of the board of Mental Health Connection, as immediate past board president of Mental Health America of Tarrant County, treasurer of the board of Mental Health of America of Texas and serves on the board of directors for the Institute for Behavioral Health Improvement. Young was recently appointed to the Texas Health and Human Services Behavioral Health Advisory Committee. Young is credentialed as a licensed professional counselor and a certified rehabilitation counselor, as well as a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He received his bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies as well as his master’s degree in community counseling from Texas Tech University. Young also received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dallas.

Ann Schumacher, president, Alegent Creighton Health Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., and trustee, Memorial Community Hospital in Blair, Neb., is the chair-elect and will assume the role of chair in 2017.

New governing council members are: Brennan Francois, chief executive officer, Parkridge Valley Hospital, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Gene E. Green, M.D., president and CEO, South Shore Health & Educational Corporation, South Weymouth, Mass.; Merlyn LaPaix, director of psychiatric nursing, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.; Cindy Meyer, vice president, behavioral health, HCA West Division, Denver; and Raymond A. Waller, administrator, MIDET Brighton Hospital, Brighton, Mich.

Returning governing council members are: Judi Bishop, director, Colorado Plains Medical Center, Ft. Morgan, Colo.; Daniel B. Coffey, president and CEO, Acadia Hospital and senior vice president, EMHS, Bangor, Maine; Paul Goering, M.D., vice president, mental health, Allina Health, Minneapolis; Kari Martin, M.D./O.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and consultant, Department of Psychiatry & Psychology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Phoenix; Mary Lou Mastro, FACHE, president and CEO, Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, Elmhurst, Ill.; Joseph Miller, Ph.D./Psy.D., corporate director, neuroscience, behavioral health, orthopedics and rehabilitation medicine at Meridian Health and clinical instructor, department of psychiatry, Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Red Bank, N.J.; Tricia Nguyen, M.D., FACHE, president, Texas Health Population Health Education and Innovation Center, Arlington, Texas; Joseph Schulman, executive director, NSLIJ Care Solutions, Great Neck, N.Y.; and Harsh K. Trivedi, M.D., executive director and CMO, Vanderbilt Behavioral Health and vice chair for clinical affairs, Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt Hospitals & Clinics, Nashville, Tenn.

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About the Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services

The AHA Section for Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Services (SPSAS) provides perspective on behavioral health issues. SPSAS represents over 1,660 providers, including psychiatric services provided in general acute care hospitals, as well as freestanding adult, child and adolescent psychiatric hospitals and alcohol and drug hospitals. The purpose of the Section is to promote and enhance the understanding and importance of behavioral health care through AHA policy, advocacy and service efforts specific to psychiatric and substance abuse service providers. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org/psych.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.