CooperRiis Expands Role in Mental Health Field with Two New Executive Positions

CooperRiis Healing Community, a nonprofit and residential community that has led over 800 residents on a path to recovery since 2003, has established two new executive leadership positions, serving both the Mill Spring farm and Asheville campuses.

Debbie O'Neil, currently the Managing Director of the Asheville campus, will assume the new position of Chief Program Officer. Prior to joining CooperRiis, O'Neil led a healthcare division with over 200 staff at Mission Hospital.

Jennifer Pasternack, MD, PhD will serve as Director of Psychiatry and will supervise two contract psychiatrists and a team of nurses and other health practitioners.

O'Neil will oversee the day to day program efficacy and treatment progress of all residents, along with communication with residents' family members. On average there are a total of 100 residents at any given time on both campuses who are receiving highly individualized care by a team of experts in the fields of counseling, psychiatry, wellness, the arts and community projects.

"My colleagues are accustomed to the unrelenting concern and questions I always have for them about the individuals we treat," said O'Neil. "It allows me to be very present with the details and always scrutinize what other steps can be taken for the most optimal treatments possible. I am ready for the challenge and am ever-invigorated by the active recoveries we see here everyday. Recovery takes time when done well and for the long term."

CooperRiis has an integrative approach to healing that is applied systematically by assessing residents' various behaviors on a daily basis. Similarly, checks and balances exist among the staff departments that explores individuals' health and recoveries from a variety of disciplines and angles. At CooperRiis there is an opportunity to more thoroughly evaluate and guide individuals using the whole-person care model that considers the mind, body and spirit.

Dr. Pasternack, the new Director of Psychiatry, has experience in a variety of mental health environments, from the ER to the other behavioral health programs where she collaborated with and oversaw a team of mental health specialists. She received her medical degree and doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and has published over a dozen academic articles on subjects ranging from antidepressants to memory loss.

"Like the CooperRiis program, my approach to working with patients is to rigorously evaluate if an individual is on the right medication for them and not taking any more than is necessary, said Dr. Pasternack, the new Director of Psychiatry. "I couldn't be more excited to be a part of CooperRiis' approach to mental health treatment."

"Many individuals have triggers or potentially tumultuous reactions based on past experiences or trauma. Medication management is one of the tools we have for addressing this in order to help clear the way for a person to address other important facets of their lives," continued Pasternack.

The new staff structure will also allow other members of the executive team, such as Executive Director Virgil Stucker, to spend more time outside of the organization participating in national groups, forums and global think tanks making changes and advances the mental health field.

"We are realizing more all the time how much the global community has to gain from the innovative methods and treatments underway at CooperRiis. Having an active role in that dialogue, both in and around the medical community, is a very significant part of our work. We also engage other thought leaders and researchers in the global community of mental health, so we can continue to offer the most state-of-the-art treatment and care available," Stucker explained.

The science and health benefits of the healing community are just beginning to be recognized in formal studies and media, but in the meantime CooperRiis' highly trained, qualified and extensive staff work tirelessly to enact the programs and articulate the evidence that their model offers for lasting recoveries.

CooperRiis is a Healing Community for individuals seeking to recover from mental illness and sometimes addictions. Its residents come from all over the country and most often are able to achieve full community re-integration. About half benefit from scholarships provided by CooperRiis' generous donors. CooperRiis' centers in Mill Spring and Asheville employ 180 staff members who are dedicated to the recovery of their 100 clients.