Experience

Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

• United States
• Mental Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Inpatient Clinical Services & Utilization Management

  • Aug 2021 - Present

  Director of Inpatient Clinical Services & Utilization Management, Connecticut Valley Hospital ~ State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Middletown, CT December 2021 to present. • Senior Executive for a 386 bed (Medicare certified) inpatient psychiatric facility with 1200 employees and three divisions: General Psychiatry (GPD), Addiction Services (ASD), and Ambulatory Care Services (ACS). • Primary Change Agent Responsible for enhancing all facets of Clinical Operations including: Recovery Services, Co-Occurring, Trauma/Gender Responsive Care, Illness Management, Alternative/Integrative Care, Rehabilitation, Vocational Support, Citizenship, and Aftercare Planning. • Director overseeing the Hospital’s Utilization Management/Utilization Review Department. • Clinical Leader representing CVH in partnership with DMHAS and in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner in the development of Integrated/Co-Occurring Care Initiatives. • Project Management Lead for the Addiction Services Division 1115 Substance Use Disorder Federally sponsored Demonstration Grant. • Principal member of the Executive Leadership Team, Governing Body, Continuing Medical Education, Ethics, and Clinical Management Group. • Provide education, training, and subject matter expertise in all aspects of Behavioral Health Operations and Care Delivery. Show less



Connecticut Valley Hospital - Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services

• Director of Compliance and Performance Improvement

  • Sep 2018 - Present

  • Senior Executive for a 386 bed inpatient psychiatric facility with 1200 employees and three divisions: General Psychiatry Division (GPD), Addiction Services Division (ASD), and Ambulatory Care Services (ACS). • Serves as the Principal Corporate Compliance Officer, Chief Privacy Officer, and Performance Improvement Director for Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH). • Chair of several Executive Committees: Quality-Risk-Safety, Compliance, Hospital Risk Committee, and Investigative Review Committee. • Principal member of the Executive Leadership Team, Governing Body, and Clinical Management Group. • Primary Risk Manager for all Critical Incidents and or Sentinel Events. • Management responsibility for all regulatory/accreditation activities ensuring compliance with: The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), CT-DPH, OSHA, SAMHSA, and DEA. • Co-facilitator of daily Safety Huddle. • Developed and implemented a Data Management Team to enhance audit processes including analysis and interpretation to directly improve patient experience and treatment outcomes. • Principal lead to develop all Plans of Correction based upon regulatory bodies’ investigation findings. • Provide education, training, and subject matter expertise in all aspects of Behavioral Health Operations. Show less



Western Connecticut State University

• United States
• Higher Education
• 400 - 500 Employee

• Professor

  • Aug 2005 - Present

  Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Western Connecticut State University. Danbury, CT August 2005 to present. Fourteen years of experience highlighted by: • Teaching a gamut of multi-level graduate/undergraduate courses in the Behavioral Sciences, for example: The Psychology of Women, Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Moral Development, Clinical Psychology, and Personality Theory. • Establishing an addiction medicine ~ primary care clinical rotation with the Western Nursing Department. • Providing internship placements for psychology students. • Consulted with and participated on a committee to establish a Masters of Science program in addiction and substance-use-disorder counseling. • Member of several community based task forces addressing the mental health needs of young adults and its impact on pursuing a university based education. Show less



Hartford Dispensary

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Quality Improvement/Assurance Manager

  • Nov 2017 - Sep 2018

  Member of the executive leadership team responsible for monitoring and providing continuous review and improvement of all clinical care and business processes covering primary care, dental services, behavioral health, and medication assisted treatment operations. Highlighted by: • Coordinating all agency regulatory and accreditation compliance with State, Federal, and International entities, such as CARF, SAMHSA, CSAT, DEA, OSHA, CT-DPH, CT-DSS, CT-DMHAS, and Consumer Protection. • Serves as the Corporate Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer. • Oversees all Risk Management functions. • Chairs several committees: Health and Safety, Quality Improvement, HIPAA, Corporate Compliance and Policy/Regulatory Review. • Provides continuing education to all employees and stakeholders covering an array of clinical, regulatory, and practice management topics relevant to the inter-related fields of behavioral health, addiction medicine, primary care, and medication assisted treatment. • Provide management reports for the Executive Director and Board of Directors. • Conducts root cause analysis covering all accidents/incidents and sentinel events. • Ensures all fiscal operations policy and procedures are consistent with applicable regulations and accounting principles. • Supports the Executive Director in accomplishing long and short range strategic goals and objectives as defined through the Strategic Planning Process. • Participates in the internal and external; review and audit of all clinical practices and develops plans of correction as required. Show less



CT Counseling Centers

• United States
• Individual and Family Services

• Program Director

  • Oct 2010 - Sep 2017

  Director of a CARF accredited Outpatient Substance, Behavioral Health, Primary Care and full spectrum Medication Assisted Treatment Center, highlighted by: * Director of a CARF accredited Outpatient Substance, Behavioral Health, Primary Care and full spectrum Medication Assisted Treatment Center, highlighted by: *



CTCounselig Ceners, Inc.

• Director of Quality Improvement

  • Dec 2007 - Sep 2010

  Member of the corporate management team overseeing a multisite outpatient substance abuse, behavioral health, primary care, and medication assisted treatment operation. Highlighted by: • Monitoring compliance with an array of local, state, and federal regulatory bodies. Such as: DMHAS, DPH, OSHA, DEA, CSAT, & SAMHSA. • Submitting monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to the board of directors; such as census/revenue trends, Incident/Accidents, and mortality. • Coordinating and securing all federal/state exception requests for patients in our M.A.T. programs. • Successfully maintaining full CARF accreditation over the past nine (9) years. • Overseeing and conducting quality assurance audits. • Direct the quality improvement/performance improvement process. • Coordinator of all risk management functions. • Principal reviewer for all critical incidents as well as sentinel events. • Participate in the review and implementation of all policy and administrative guidelines. • Provide direct clinical/administrative consultation on all personnel issues as well as clinical service delivery processes. Show less