OBJECTIVES
DESCRIPTION
This session highlights two innovative initiatives that demonstrate how leadership, culture, and operational design intersect to strengthen behavioral health access and reduce behavioral health stigma in community settings. Presenters will share lessons from the renaming and transformation of a community psychiatry clinic, as well as the expansion of behavioral health services through extended hours. Together, these projects illustrate practical strategies for organizational change, leadership in action, and culturally responsive care. Participants will gain insights they can adapt within their own agencies and systems.
SPEAKERS
MARIO ZAYAS, LMFT
Senior Manager/ SAMHSA CCBHC Program Manager
Mario Zayas is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) at San Ysidro Health (SYHealth) in San Diego, California, with over a decade of experience providing behavioral health services within multidisciplinary teams. Since joining SYHealth in 2015 as a Family Therapist for the Behavioral Health Department’s Youth Enhancement Services Program—a County of San Diego HHSA-funded initiative offering outpatient mental health and substance use services to youth and families—he has demonstrated a strong commitment to integrated and community-based care. In 2020, he transitioned to the role of Program Manager for SYHealth’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Program, collaborating with leadership to establish and integrate the program within the organization’s Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) structure. His extensive experience spans direct clinical service delivery, behavioral health program management, coordination of care, and SAMHSA grant oversight. Through his leadership, he has guided the development and implementation of the CCBHC Program, ensuring high-quality, accessible behavioral healthcare. Driven by a passion for empowering individuals and communities, he remains dedicated to advancing the integration of behavioral health and primary care services.
Nestor “Tommy” Acevedo, MSW, LCSW
Nestor “Tommy” Acevedo, MSW, LCSW serves as Administrator, Mental Health Services, at Valley Health Partners Community Health Center. In this role, he oversees all Mental Health service operations, including Integrated Behavioral Health and Psychiatry, across Valley Health Partner’s clinical sites in Allentown, Easton, and the Pocono’s. Tommy has worked in the field of Behavioral & Mental health for 15 years, as a researcher, clinician, and leader, and has been with Valley Health Partners since the organization’s inception. He serves on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Mental Health Planning Council, with a focus on improving access to, and the quality of, mental health services provided in the state. Tommy is passionate about addressing barriers to accessing mental health services, and decreasing the stigma associated with seeking treatment, especially in traditionally underserved communities. Tommy is an avid aviator, and enjoys spending time with his wife, and three children, exploring Pennsylvania’s great outdoors.