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, program development and management of Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Services at WEA (including mental health, substance use disorders, and case management/care management). This position reports to the CEO and is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team responsible for strategic planning, setting agency goals and direction, and maintaining alignment with WEA’s mission and vision. 

Part Time/Full Time

Hybrid - in-person (most days per week) administrative duties in Southern California offices with some virtual duties. Travel required on occasion to all WEA locations

Reports to Chief Executive Officer 

The principal areas of responsibility include: 

• Oversee all aspects of the IBH program, monitoring it for quality, and ensuring it meets the needs of patients and the organization
• Provide strong clinical leadership and supervision to the IBH department by modeling high-quality best practices and integrated care. 
  • For non-physician candidates, clinical supervision excludes PMHNPs and psychiatrists
• Recruit and onboard IBH providers and monitor and evaluate their performance
• Develop, monitor and supervise case management/Enhanced Care Management (ECM) program
• Provide input in grant applications in collaboration with the Development team.
• Assist with developing training and education on BH issues for WEA staff, employees, and contractors.
• Develop BH policies and procedures and ensure training and adherence.
• With CMO, Oversee all Quality Improvement initiatives concerning Behavioral Health
• Collaborate closely with medical providers and medical leadership to improve outcomes and increase the number of patients accessing behavioral health
• Attend WEA operational meetings, meetings with potential partners, and strategic planning sessions
• Identify, develop, and build relationships with key BH stakeholders
• Ensure all WEA projects and programs carefully consider the behavioral health needs of the populations impacted and design solutions to address them
• Use data to monitor performance targets and develop innovative strategies to meet or exceed performance goals
• 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

Qualifications and Education Requirements

Education: (Required)

• A master’s or doctoral degree in a relevant field, such as psychology, social work, or mental  health field (PsyD, LCSW, LMFT, LPCC)

OR

• A medical degree or licensure in a relevant field such as psychiatry (PMHNP, MD, DO).

Licensure/Certification:

• Current California Clinical License.
• 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, dir