Medical Director of Crisis Services
Medical Director of Crisis Services
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
Lawrence, Kansas
The Moran Company is pleased to partner with the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to recruit the organization's next Medical Director of Crisis Services.
Organizational Background
Located in Lawrence, Kansas, the Bert Nash Center is the designated community mental health center and the certified community behavioral health clinic for Douglas County. Founded in 1950, Bert Nash is a licensed, comprehensive behavioral health facility committed to providing research-based services to improve the lives of Douglas County residents. The Bert Nash Center is a safety-net behavioral health services provider, and as such the significant provider of behavioral crisis care across the lifespan and community. The Bert Nash Center aims to meet this need in three major areas – the Treatment and Recovery Center, the Mobile Response Team and the Youth Recovery Center.
Opening its doors in April 2023, the Treatment and Recovery Center of Douglas County (TRC) is an innovative approach to providing urgent behavioral health care, behavioral health diagnostic and treatment services and coordinated and integrated recovery services in one setting. It is made possible by the leadership of Douglas County and significant investment of Douglas County citizens. The purpose of the TRC is to provide excellence in the assessment, treatment and coordination of crisis care for all people experiencing psychiatric, substance use, or co-occurring disorders. The TRC offers triage and assessments, initial treatment planning, care coordination, psychiatric medication evaluation and treatment, 23-hour observation, 72-hour stabilization and treatment of withdrawal symptoms.
The TRC is the result of collaboration and investment from numerous local institutions and agencies. It is funded through a variety of resources including the quarter-cent sales tax that was approved by voters in November 2018 to improve behavioral health services and facilities in Douglas County. More information regarding the TRC can be found here - trcdgks.
The Mobile Response Team (MRT) provides community-based crisis support to clients in crisis. MRT strives to support clients in the least restrictive environments possible, which often entails the TRC and YRC, respectively. The MRT plays an essential role in the Douglas County Crisis Continuum of Care, focusing on managing distress for individuals in high-acuity situations and complex circumstances within Douglas County. The team provides clinical assessment, safety planning, and crisis stabilization while ensuring safety for all. MRT is deployed through a multitude of access points including dispatch/911, 988, and via the Douglas County crisis line. This ensures an integrated response coordinated with our broader first responder network. MRT is committed to enhancing community safety and support for individuals in crisis through effective collaboration, staffing, and community outreach initiatives. MRT responds to environments in which people live including their homes, work, and schools to ensure that immediately accessible crisis resources are available and as an alternative response to law enforcement when possible.
The Youth Recovery Center (YRC) will be an 8-bed, behavioral health crisis intervention center for youth suffering from serious behavioral health challenges, including suicidal ideation, and/or substance use. Based on the model of the TRC, the YRC will offer short-term crisis intervention services for youth and has the potential to be the state’s first dedicated facility of its kind. It will offer 24/7 behavioral health assessments, treatment, and intensive clinical crisis care. The YRC will offer overnight stays of 2-3 days for more acute care. In addition to this new service model, BNC’s existing range of services for youth, including outpatient therapy, psychological assessments, intensive outpatient treatment, and other behavioral health supports will be co-located on the campus of this state-of-the-art facility.
These 3 dimensions of crisis intervention, working in harmony, are essential to the overall crisis continuum of care, and supports clients in crisis receive the optimal treatment. The Medical Director of Crisis Services will provide valued leadership and support to all 3 of these integrated teams with support and direction from the leadership of the TRC, MRT, and YRC teams and the Chief Medical Director of the Bert Nash Center.
Lawrence, Kansas is located 40 minutes west of Kansas City and is the home of the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University. With a population of just under 100,000, Lawrence is a diverse and multifaceted city that provides many of the amenities of a large metropolitan area while still maintaining a strong sense of community.
Position Summary
The Bert Nash Center seeks an innovative, experienced, and highly skilled Medical Director to work collaboratively with the TRC, YRC, and MRT clinical staff and Bert Nash Center leadership to lead and support the therapeutic care to individuals seeking crisis care at the TRC, YRC, and from the MRT. The Medical Director should be ready and willing to fully support the clinical work of the Center. The major responsibilities of the position include:
- Performs medical review of all clinical practices, including safety protocols.
- Performs duties associated with the position of psychiatrist-in-the-clinic by completing initial psychiatric assessments, coordinating crisis intervention care, supporting family interventions, and completing focused crisis diagnostic assessments. Additional tasks include completion of assessments of capacity for consent to treatment, risk assessments, patient education, progress towards treatment goals, and discharge planning.
- Functions as site representative/clinical leader regarding clinical care and practices for regulatory agencies, facility and external stakeholders.
- Provides leadership and direction for all behavioral health and substance use services and serves as an example of clinical and operational excellence.
- Demonstrates organizational teamwork and ensures optimal clinical outcomes for consumers.
- Communicates the mission and the direction of the agency to clinical staff so that staff fully understand all initiatives of the service.
- Provides oversight of all psychiatric providers, both employed and contracted and has direct supervisory responsibility for psychiatric nurse practitioners.
- Actively engages with TRC, YRC, and MRT staff to pursue continuous program improvement and systems of accountability.
- Maintains liaison with the medical community, area hospitals and the Managed Care Organizations to facilitate optimal clinical care.
As the medical leader of crisis services, the Medical Director has the responsibility to effectively represent the organization and ensure all functions and services of the organization are focused on the mission: “The purpose of the Crisis Continuum of Care is to provide excellence in the assessment, treatment and coordination of crisis care for all people experiencing a psychiatric, substance use, or co-occurring disorder. It serves as the lifeline for immediate access to care and connects people to community resources that put them on the journey to recovery.”
Professional Qualifications and Personal Characteristics
The following qualifications and characteristics are desired for this position. Additionally, the successful candidate must possess a strong ability and desire to support the mission and staff of Crisis Services.
- Ability to lead the Crisis Services clinical team in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of clinical operations and programs.
- Ability to manage and motivate the clinical team in Crisis Services, establishing clear goals and expectations, offering timely feedback, and promoting a patient focused and patient driven attitude among team members.
- Ability to work collaboratively with the TRC Director, YRC Director, and Sr. Director of Crisis Services to integrate the clinical functions of crisis teams with external resources and agencies.
- Ability to work collaboratively with the TRC Director, YRC Director, and Sr. Director of Crisis Services to maintain agency quality improvement, internal performance goals, corporate compliance, and documentation guidelines and ensure services are performed consistently with established clinical standards and conform to all applicable accreditation, regulatory and licensing standards.
Required Education and Experience
- Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathic Medicine and completion of psychiatric residency training programs, in the delivery of mental health treatment of children, adolescents, and/or adults.
- Licensure: Board Certificated and licensed or eligible for unrestricted licensure with the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, State of Kansas.
- Preferred Qualifications: 3 years of post-residency psychiatric care experience, prior administrative experience, knowledge of policies, procedures, and regulatory expectations, and strong demonstrated leadership skills.
Compensation
The Crisis Services Medical Director will receive a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience along with a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance. Also included is a 401k retirement plan, vacation time, sick leave, and paid holidays. The proposed annual salary range for this position will be $280,000 - $325,000.
Statement of Non-Discrimination
The Bert Nash Center does not discriminate based on religion, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age. BNC staff will always maintain professional decorum and ethical conduct, be of the highest integrity and promote the practice and delivery of quality care in a culturally sensitive environment.
Application Process
The search for the Medical Director of Crisis Services is being conducted by The Moran Company. Questions about this position can be directed to Jon Rosell, Senior Search Consultant, The Moran Company at: jon (at) morancompany.com.