Sierra Tucson Announces Chief Medical Officer

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sierra Tucson, an international leader in behavioral, mental and integrated health care, announces the appointment of Jasleen Chhatwal, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. She has served as Interim Chief Medical Officer since November, 2019.

Dr. Chhatwal will be responsible for managing the medical department, which includes psychiatrists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, as well overseeing the integrative care team and applied neuroscience department. She will focus on ensuring high-quality patient care through the optimization of internal processes to create greater efficiencies that will increase provider face-time with patients. In addition, Dr. Chhatwal will lead the facility's mental health education outreach efforts at national and international conferences and seminars to promote the importance of integrated care for successful, sustainable recovery. As a firm believer that staff care is important to providing optimal patient care, she will also be directing an internal initiative to assist the Sierra Tucson medical staff to prioritize their own self-care.

Since 2018, she has served at Sierra Tucson in the roles of Associate Medical Director and Medical Director for the Mood Disorders Residential Program, as well as continuing as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona. Dr. Chhatwal was formerly the Interim Medical Director Psychiatric Hospital Services for Banner University Medical Center South in Tucson and previously served as Chief Resident at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.  

"As we are in the midst of an opioid crisis and suicide epidemic, it is ideal to have a physician with Dr. Chhatwal's expertise in treating depression, trauma and co-occurring disorders, leading our medical team," said Jaime Vinck, CEO, Sierra Tucson Group. "Dr. Chhatwal is a strong believer in our integrated model of care, and with her community involvement in multiple professional organizations, combined with her philosophy on promoting well-being for our own providers, she is the right person to advance our efforts to help those who struggle with a variety of behavioral health conditions."

Dr. Chhatwal is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a winner of the Presidential Award for Leadership from the Arizona Psychiatric Society. She serves on the executive council of the Arizona Psychiatric Society, currently holding elected office as President-Elect. In her role as Early Career Psychiatrist Representative to the American Psychiatric Association, she is active in advocating for her profession and patients at a regional and national level. She also holds membership in the American Institute of Physician Leadership and the World Psychiatric Association.

About Sierra Tucson

Since 1983, Sierra Tucson's longstanding legacy of clinical excellence and compassionate care has resulted in recovery for those struggling with substance use disorder, trauma-related issues, pain that interferes with life, and mood and anxiety disorders. Internationally renowned for its innovative approach to behavioral and mental health treatment, Sierra Tucson combines integrative and experiential therapies with evidence-based practices to provide treatment methods for residential treatment and outpatient services. sierratucson.com

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SOURCE Sierra Tucson