By Josh Mitchell
Corinth Today News Editor
A government-funded mental health agency that serves thousands of people still lacks a permanent leader after a year and a half.
Region IV Mental Health, which is based in Corinth, has been without a permanent executive director since June of 2017 when former executive director Charlie Spearman retired.
The agency serves five counties and has several hundred employees.
Jason Ramey was appointed interim executive after Spearman retired and is still serving in that capacity.
Region IV Board Chairman Greg Collier told Corinth Today on Tuesday that a decision on whether Ramey will be named permanent executive director may be made in early 2019. It appears as though Ramey is qualified for the position, Collier added.
Last year, Collier, who is a Tishomingo County supervisor, said the board had not advertised the position and that Ramey was the only person being considered for the job. It is unclear if that remains the case.
Ramey said Tuesday that he is still interested in serving as the permanent executive director, but ultimately it is a decision for the Region IV board.
Ramey had been with the agency about a year before he was appointed interim executive director by the board and was chief operating officer before that.
Ramey’s mom, Judy Ramey, was previously a Prentiss County representative on the Region IV board. But Jason Ramey said his mom resigned from the board when he started employment with the agency in July of 2016 to avoid a conflict of interest.
Ramey said he has a master’s in business administration, but Mississippi Department of Mental Health Operational Standards said executive directors must have a “minimum of a master’s degree in a mental health or related field . . .”
Waivers for certain state standards can be requested on a case-by-case basis.
Ramey said he is “not opposed” to pursuing a master’s degree in a mental health field if needed but said he is currently not doing so. That would be an issue to be taken up with the Region IV board, he noted.
Prior to coming to Region IV in 2016, Ramey said he ran the inpatient psychiatric unit for geriatric patients for Horizon Health at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Booneville. With Horizon, he also traveled throughout the nation to help establish psychiatric programs and train directors. He was also a master instructor for the company’s crisis intervention program.
It is unclear if the combination of Ramey’s master’s degree in business administration along with his background working in the mental health field would satisfy the requirements set forth in the state operational standards to serve as executive director of the mental health agency.
Corinth Today reached out to the state Department of Mental Health on Tuesday to see if it is involved in the Region IV leadership transition. But community mental health centers, such as Region IV, typically operate independently but must adhere to the state operational standards.
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