By Josh Mitchell
Corinth Today News Editor
The man who may be the next executive director of a regional mental health agency that serves Alcorn and several other counties said he brings more than 13 years of experience to the table, including a management background.
Jason Ramey of Booneville is the current interim director of Region IV Mental Health Services, which provides mental health and substance abuse treatment to five counties. He said he would love the opportunity to be the full-time executive director.
Region IV board Chairman Greg Collier said this week that Ramey is the only person being considered for the job and that the position has not been advertised.
Ramey, who has a master’s in business administration from the University of North Alabama, worked for Horizon Health in Booneville for 12 years prior to coming to Region IV in July of 2016 as the chief operating officer.
Ramey ran the inpatient psychiatric unit for geriatric patients for Horizon Health at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Booneville. The unit dealt with a large range of psychiatric problems such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and Alzheimer’s disease.
Ultimately, Ramey was promoted to a Horizon Health senior program director, which allowed him to travel throughout the United States to help establish psychiatric programs and train directors. He was also a master instructor for the company’s crisis intervention program.
With Horizon, Ramey said he oversaw budgeting and human resources and made sure national standards and regulations were adhered to.
The Region IV board appointed Ramey as interim executive director shortly after the retirement of Charlie Spearman of Booneville, who was at the helm of the agency for 21 years.
Ramey said he feels as though he has the needed experience to lead Region IV into the future. It is rewarding to help people battling substance abuse and mental health problems, he added.
Mental health and substance abuse treatment have become focal points locally and nationwide. Nationally, officials are taking aim at the opioid crisis while methamphetamine is a problem regionally and elsewhere.
Likewise, President Donald Trump pointed to mental health problems in the country when he discussed Sunday’s Texas church shooting that left 26 people dead.
Region IV needs to make sure it is providing the best services possible with counseling, therapy, crisis centers, drug treatment and other assistance, Ramey noted. It all starts with the agency’s employees, and Ramey said Region IV has a “great” staff.
As the director, Ramey said he would look for ways to build on Spearman’s accomplishments and strive to offer new mental health programs in the region.
Collier, the Region IV chairman, said Ramey is doing a “super” job. The board thought it would be a good idea to appoint an interim director from in-house who knew the day-to-day operations of Region IV, Collier noted.
The Region IV board has not made a final decision on who will be named the full-time executive director, but Collier said “everything is pointing” in the direction that Ramey is “very capable of doing this job.”
Ramey has some family connections to Region IV. His mom is a former Region IV board member, and his wife currently works as a case manager for the agency.
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