New chief executive officer appointed at Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare

Recently, former chief executive officer at Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare, Dave Colletti, was named deputy director of Hospital Services for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS). Because of this, there was a vacancy in the CEO spot, and the organization has announced that the position has been filled by Douglas Kern Jr.

As CEO, Kern will oversee a staff of nearly 500 employees and be responsible for the well-being, care and treatment of 260 patients located at the Northfield hospital, and approximately 200 individuals served by NBH’s Community Support Network (CSN) in Cuyahoga, Lake and Mahoning counties. In addition to overseeing day-to-day hospital operations, Kern will also manage relations with the Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Boards in the seven-county catchment area served by the hospital.

“Doug is an experienced leader, dedicated professional and tireless advocate for Ohioans with mental illness. I know he will do exceptional work on behalf of families and individuals served by the hospital,” said OhioMHAS Director Tracy J. Plouck.

Kern, who brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of mental health to his new position, previously served as the hospital’s chief operating officer. He began his career at NBH in 1994 with the Community Support Network (CSN) as a therapeutic program worker and continued to work within the mental health field assisting and advocating for clients, managing staff and ensuring quality before being promoted to Director of CSN in 2004. As director of CSN, Mr. Kern was responsible for approximately 130 employees in seven counties providing residential and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team (case management) services to nearly 400 clients in the community. He oversaw a budget of approximately $12 million and became very efficient at Medicaid/Non-Medicaid reimbursement and productivity expectations in order to operate fiscally sustainable programs.

Kern has served on the Hospital Executive Committee at NBH for the past 10 years and has been responsible for the Joint Commission, Licensure & Certification and CMS standards. He has been actively involved in the planning and construction of the new facility/renovations currently underway at NBH.