Sheehan added that strategies to improve mental well-being won’t come from staying in his office. I’m going to sit with hospitals,” he said. I’m going to sit with county commissioners. “I’m gonna go, and I’m going to sit with law enforcement. Next, he wants to hear what the community needs from him. “I want them to understand that my first job is to eliminate any fear that they have that I’m going to do something to further injure the organization,” he said. To his staff, Sheehan wants to make his intentions clear. Pogue would like to see the basic infrastructure of Mind Springs change first, “making sure that the phones get answered, making sure that voicemail messages are returned, making sure that folks can get their prescriptions renewed when they’re due,” she suggested.Īs soon as he starts, Sheehan’s first priority is to listen first to his staff and then to the community. “It comes down to how much care we are providing to the community for the resources that we receive, and what is the quality of that care.” “You know, I’ve read the concerns about Mind Springs,” Sheehan said. He also recognized that there has been a negative perception of Mind Springs. “And so if that’s the new norm - well - then there needs to be a transformation of the system, which means organizations like Mind Springs have to transform.” “We have to treat behavioral health in the future state like we treat hearts,” Sheehan said. Part of that is his belief that mental health should be treated just as important as physical health.
Sheehan said he took the role because he feels he has something to offer the Western Slope. Between a dozen candidates, Bates said Sheehan checked all the boxes - both on paper and in character. Stefan Bates, the president of the Mind Springs Board of Health, said they used a recruiter in their search to find a new CEO. He’s worked in in-patient care, technology and administration and was the vice president of Baycare Health System Incorporated in Tampa, Florida. After being in the field for so long, Sheehan has worn many hats within the behavioral health industry.
Sheehan has been in the behavioral health field since he was 18. It’s not their community,” he said.Įven if the county is no longer reliant on Mind Springs, both offici als said they were hopeful that Sheehan would try to repair ties with Summit County. “When I say that our tremendous overwhelming success is due to our community and our stakeholders in the community, that’s what Minds Springs - even if they came back tomorrow - couldn’t duplicate. It’s more about - what can Mind Springs offer at this point?”įitzSimons expressed his gratitude for how the community has supported mental health access.
“We’ve moved on from Mind Springs,” FitzSimons said. Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons feels similarly. She added that a local community system would be a much more “organic and homegrown” approach compared to Summit County’s relationship with Mind Springs. “So it just makes it a much more transparent process than what we have right now.” “Let’s just say, you know, a private practice provider in Summit County that feels like he or she has the capacity to meet all of those standards, can then apply to become the safety net provider for Summit County,” Pogue said. It encourages authenticity because the provider would not receive dollars until they prove they can deliver effective behavioral health care. Pogue explained the new legislation would encourage local community providers to fill behavioral health needs. While open to the possibility of positive change with Sheehan’s arrival, Summit County Commissioner Tamara Pogue said she’s more focused on Summit County’s internal efforts to support its residents’ mental health. Regarding the county’s plans to cut ties with Mind Springs, Pogue said nothing is official yet, and there’s a reason why.Ĭolorado’s recent legislative session brought forth a plethora of new legislation aimed at improving the mental health system within the state. John Sheehan has been chosen as Mind Springs Health’s CEO and will begin his role beginning in early August 2022.