Chief Behavioral Health Officer

Description

Wellness Equity Alliance (WEA) is a novel national public health organization comprised of a multidisciplinary team of population and public health experts with backgrounds in infectious disease, public health, emergency medicine, primary care, cardiology, pediatrics, psychiatry, community health work (CHW), nursing and advanced practice pharmacy. We work nearly exclusively with underrepresented communities, fundamentally addressing health-care disparities and the social determinants of health (SDoH) that have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing the following:

• People experiencing homelessness
• Indigenous communities
• Immigrant communities
• Rural communities
• BIPoC communities
• LGBTQIA+ communities
• Justice-impacted communities
  
  

The WEA team is diverse, inclusive, and nimble enough to assemble teams of healthcare professionals within days using our proven local staff recruitment models to address population health crises and communicable disease outbreaks. The WEA team’s partnership model is collaborative and allows hospitals, health jurisdictions, state/local government agencies to provide timely care using equity-based strategies for individuals and marginalized communities.

Purpose of the position

The Chief Behavioral Health Officer (CBHO) at WEA provides clinical leadership, administrative oversight, and consultation for the Behavioral Health Services at WEA (including mental health and substance use disorders). This part-time position (0.6 FTE) reports to the CMO, is part of the Executive Leadership Team, and is dedicated to administrative tasks that will be prioritized in collaboration with CEO and the Executive Leadership Team. This position can be based at one of our California locations (Los Angeles or Palm Springs) or in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Principal Areas Of Responsibility Include

• Oversee all of the BH services for WEA.
• Provide input in grant applications. Works closely with the Development team.
• Through direct reports administratively oversee BH services
• Help operational staff stand up new behavioral health programs, as needed
• Help build the Policies and procedures for BH services at WEA.
• Assist with developing training and education on BH issues for WEA staff, employees, and contractors.
• Develop BH policies and procedures.
• Oversee all QI initiatives concerning Behavioral Health
• Attend WEA operational meetings, meetings with potential partners, strategic planning sessions
• Identify, develop, and build relationships with key BH stakeholders
• Ensure all WEA projects carefully consider the behavioral health needs of the populations impacted and design solutions to address them
• Serve as consultant on mental health, substance use disorders, psychiatric care service issues
• Work closely with the Clinical Operations team to address quality improvement, patient flow, patient satisfaction, and productivity issues that may arise and develop a plan for improvement.
• Visits clinical operations in person as needed
  
  

Requirements

Education: (Required)

• A master’s or doctoral degree in a relevant field, such as psychology, social work, or public health.
  
  

Licensure/Certification: (Required)

• Current California or New Mexico Clinical License.
• Current Clinical Supervisor Certification.
• Board certified in the applicable specialty field for this position
• 5 or more years of experience in behavioral health management, including clinical and administrative roles; with 3 years of progressively responsible experience in clinical practice, one of which must have included management experience planning, directing, and coordinating the activities of a healthcare setting with an interdisciplinary approach.
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Strong leadership and organizational skills, with a proven track record of program development and implementation
• A commitment to ongoing professional development
• An understanding of how to ensure compliance with organizational and professional standards and applicable laws and regulations.
• Experience identifying and securing funding streams to support program initiatives.
• Experience and knowledge of multi-ethnic, diverse, and underserved communities.
• Experience in public health and/or FQHCs
• Demonstrated commitment to serving the needs of underserved communities.