AnonymousSource: County of Santa Barbara
The County of Santa Barbara Behavioral Wellness Director, Alice Gleghorn Ph.D., after leading the department for 6.5 years has announced that she will be leaving her position to accept the position of President and CEO of Phoenix Houses of California, Inc., a private nonprofit substance abuse treatment program based in Southern California. Dr. Gleghorn will continue with the department until mid June.
The County will soon open a national search for a new Behavioral Wellness Director who will continue the legacy of strong leadership and effective performance with the department, while addressing the community’s behavioral health needs including substance use disorder and mental health services.
“Since December 2014, it has been my great honor to work with an inspiring group of county staff and behavioral health professionals, including our contracted community-based organizations, county leaders in criminal justice, health, social services, and housing, peers, families and other community stakeholders, particularly our partners committed to addressing the impact of homelessness and racial equity on wellness,” said Dr. Gleghorn.
“The County of Santa Barbara appreciates Dr. Gleghorn’s many years of service and wishes her well in her new endeavor,” stated Gregg Hart, Santa Barbara County Supervisor, Second District. “Under her leadership, the department has made tremendous progress in client care, quality of staff and program growth.”
During Dr. Gleghorn’s directorship, numerous accomplishments occurred. Some of these include the addition of 170 new beds throughout the county, consistently high performances in annual audits and reviews, the opening of the county’s first mental health rehabilitation center for long term residential care, starting the first crisis stabilization unit in the county and expansion of the crisis service system to develop mental health co-response teams linked with police and sheriff, launching a community overdose prevention program which has documented more than a thousand overdose rescues since 2016, and developing a continuum of care which embraces and expands substance abuse treatment and specifically medication assistance treatment for those struggling with substance use disorders.
Assistant Director, Dr. Pam Fisher, has agreed to delay her retirement to assist the department until the recruitment for the next Behavioral Wellness Director is completed.
