Behavioral Health Care Company Announces New Board Chair and Vice Chair
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Board of Managers of New Directions Behavioral Health® (New Directions) announced the election of Jim Bailey to the position of Board Chairman and Ron Simmons to the position of Vice Chairman. New Directions, a privately owned company, provides managed behavioral health care services, employee assistance programs, health coaching and organizational consulting to health plans and to employers around the country.
"Both Jim and Ron bring a deep knowledge and passion for our mission of improving health through change," said John Quick, New Directions President and CEO. "Their extensive service to New Directions and strong leadership has guided us tremendously as we've grown from serving 1.4M members in 2008 to more than 12M members today."
"Behavioral health conditions are significant contributors to overall medical costs in the United States," said Bailey, Chief Marketing Officer for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. "Working together with health plans, New Directions makes a substantial impact in managing those costs and improving the quality of life for behavioral health patients. It's a mission I'm proud to be a part of."
With 35 years at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Bailey currently leads all sales and marketing divisions and is active in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield system nationally. He is also involved in his community where he serves as chairman of the board of Junior Achievement of Arkansas and is a board member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
To improve overall quality of life, a holistic view of the health and well-being of individuals is critical, according to Simmons, Chief Financial Officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. "New Directions is leading this effort by focusing on the inherent relationship between medical, pharmacy and behavioral health services. It's an honor to be associated with New Directions, and I look forward to being a part of their success in the future," said Simmons.
Simmons has worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas for 35 years and has responsibility for all financial, actuarial, treasury, risk management and management engineering activities.
About New Directions
Founded in 1995, New Directions helps people live healthy, balanced lives. The fast-growing health care company provides managed behavioral health care services, employee assistance programs (EAPs), organizational consulting and health coaching to large regional health plans, Fortune 100 companies, employers and labor groups. For more information, visit ndbh.com.
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SOURCE New Directions Behavioral Health
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