HONORING THOSE WHO HELP OTHERS

Paula Nelson was instrumental in the funding, licensing and opening of most of Sacred Heart’s 11 sites. Sacred Heart provides detoxi cation, women’s specialty, medication-assisted therapy and numerous other inpatient and outpatient services. Under her direction, the nonpro t o ers FDA-approved opioid treatment medications to inmates in three county jails.

“She is a strong advocate for the behavioral health of consumers and families, strategic planner and usually prevails over time. She is persistent and works hard to nd community consensus,” said Haveman Group President James Haveman.

Nelson is a member of the Mental Health Corporations of America Association, Greater Flint Coalition Behavioral Health Task Force, Detroit-Wayne County Association of Substance Abuse Treatment Providers and the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan’s Provider Alliance.

Anthony Muller Vice President of Substance Use Disorder Services

Samaritas

Anthony Muller leads behavioral health strategy for Samaritas, a foster care and adoption agency with family preservation programs, such as its substance use disorder services. Since 2020, he expanded the nonpro t’s SUD program to ve new counties with two more in the works.

Under Muller’s leadership, his team of 40 improved process e ciencies and lessened the time it takes to screen and provide medication-assisted treatment to the more than 1,800 people they served last year. He manages a $3.6 million budget.

Muller is a member of the West Michigan Counseling Association board and is a regular guest speaker at substance use-related conferences.

Darlene Owens

Vice President of Treatment Programs

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

“(Darlene Owens) has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in the behavioral health eld. Her unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and promoting mental health awareness has made a signicant impact in the lives of countless individuals,” said DRMM President and CEO Chad Audi, M.D.

Audi credits Owens’ leadership and “invaluable guidance” to DRMM’s ability to provide recovery housing, re-entry and substance use treatment.

Owens, who manages 65 employees and a $10 million budget, implemented regular evidence-based training to help sta deal with complex client needs and integrated substance use disorder and co-occurring disorder care with primary care providers. She also established the nonpro t’s East Residential Alternative to Prison program that provides clients in the tri-county area with comprehensive treatment plans that include employment readiness and skills training along with medical care.

Moreover, Owens advocates for voting rights and volunteers at the Salvation Army. She is also a member of the National Notary Association and Wayne County’s ird Circuit Adult Drug Treatment Court team.

Tracy Payton-Lester Program Director

Ele’s Place, Greater Flint and Genesee County

Ele’s Place provides peer support for children and teens dealing with grief and its e ects on school performance, substance use and suicide.

In addition to managing her own caseload, Tracy Payton-Lester manages 10 sta members in Genesee County. She launched and continues to oversee school-based programming at Beecher middle and high schools.

“Tracy has been the heart of the Flint branch of Ele’s Place since its opening eight years ago,” said Ele’s Place Inc. COO Kate Powers. “Her tireless dedication to the mental health of the youth of Flint is unmatched, and we are grateful to have her on the team.”

Payton-Lester is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Vicky Politowski Director of Integrated Healthcare Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network

Vicky Politowski administers the Pay for Performance Incentives for Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans and Medicaid Health Plans. Since joining DWIHN in 2021, she has built joint initiatives with Medicaid Health Plans to improve the quality of care the nonpro t’s members receive.

DWIHN provides substance use, disability services and behavioral health care to 75,000 members in Wayne County. She also worked with a vendor to create a mobile app that will allow members to access their medical records and appointments and view their medications. e app also provides the Healthcare E ectiveness Data and Information Set, a tool to improve access to quality care.

Politowski helped the nonpro t get funding to place peer health coaches in integrated care settings. She also leads preadmission screening and annual review to address the relationship nursing facilities have with individuals who are seriously mentally ill or have an intellectual/developmental disability as part of a federal mandate.

Danis Russell CEO

Genesee Health System

Danis Russell manages over 500 employees and a $151 million budget. His recent big wins include leading the construction of a 70,000-squarefoot Center for Children’s Integrated Services and advocating for a 10-year Mental Health Millage in 2021. e regional millage supports behavioral health treatment, law enforcement and rst responder crisis-intervention training, mental health support for courts and corrections facilities and a mental health-focused urgent care.

e Genesee Community Health Center opened three locations under his direction and has a bus that brings COVID testing, education and vaccines to neighborhoods.

Russell serves on the Greater Flint Health Coalition Board, Genesee Retirement Commission Board and the Voices for Children boards.

“Dan is respected by his peers, community leaders and the Genesee Health System Board of Directors. More importantly, he is respected by the employees of GHS who voted the organization the best place to work,” said Kathryn Boles, Genesee Health System board chair.

Selena Schmidt

Vice President, Behavioral Health and Community Health

Ascension Michigan

“Selena (Schmidt) is a tireless advocate and talented leader for Ascension Michigan, representing what our mission is all about — care for the poor and vulnerable,” said Ascension Medical Group Michigan COO Tom Klein. Schmidt is a board-certi ed holistic nurse and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She manages Ascension’s behavioral health, substance use, and community health education and wellness programs at Ascension’s acute care hospitals, outpatient clinics, telehealth service, and substance use hospital and residential treatment facility. She also administers Ascension’s community health school-based clinics, care for victims of human tra cking and domestic violence and interfaith partnerships. Most recently, Schmidt’s team launched We Care to provide mental health care to people with pandemic-related trauma at work.

Schmidt is on the Macomb County Community Mental Health, Disability Rights Michigan and Michigan Hospital Association Behavioral Health Council boards.

Edward Steinberger

Director of the Detroit Career Center

Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit

Edward Steinberger creates and executes behavioral health services focused on helping people with developmental and intellectual disabilities succeed in the workplace. With a $2.3 million budget, he manages 19 people responsible for supporting 240 people. He identi es and lls services gaps. e career center was in the red in 2021 after COVID-related revenue losses, but Steinberger redesigned the career center and added a digital learning platform. In 2022, the center had a budget surplus and a curriculum to help participants gain independence.

Steinberger is active in the community and works with Michigan State University’s Employment Equity Learning and Action Collaborative, Detroit’s Workforce-Board Disability committee, Michigan’s behavioral health and wellness collaborative, the Advocacy Committee for Homeless Action Network of Detroit and others.