Lydia Tuck Named CEO Of Illinois Mental Health Collaborative For Access and Choice
Chicago – March 24, 2008
ValueOptions®, Inc., has named Lydia Y. Tuck to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Mental Health Collaborative for Access and Choice. The Collaborative is a formal partnership between the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health (DHS/DMH) and its administrative service organization, ValueOptions®, the nation's largest independent behavioral health care company.
Tuck will be in charge of the Collaborative's administrative services organization, which is responsible for assisting in the coordination of the state's mental health care delivery system.
"We are delighted to have someone with such an impressive record of accomplishment in mental health care management lead our team in Illinois," said Nancy Lane, Chief Operating Officer for the Public Sector Division of ValueOptions®. "Lydia will build upon the already strong relationship of trust among DMH, ValueOptions®, mental health care consumers and providers across the state."
Tuck has 12 years of nonprofit and public sector executive management experience. Most recently, she was the Executive Director for the Oak Park (Ill.) Community Mental Health Board. Prior to that, she served as Senior Vice President of Tenant and Property Services for Lakefront SRO Corp., in Chicago.
Additionally, she has made previous use of her extensive skills as Executive Director of Grand Rapids (Mich.) REACH, Inc.; Director of Residential Services for Pathfinder Resources, Inc.; and Psychiatric Therapist for Kent Oaks Day Treatment Center, both in Grand Rapids.
Tuck also contributes to the mental health community through her volunteer oversight activities with the Association of Community Mental Health Authorities of Illinois, the National Association of County Behavioral and Developmental Disabilities Directors, Congressman Danny Davis's Mental Health Task Force, the Rush Behavioral Health Community, and ARC of Illinois.
Tuck received her undergraduate degree from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids and earned a Masters of Social Work from Jackson (Miss.) State University.
ValueOptions® was chosen as the administrative service organization by DMH in December 2007. Their integral roles in the Collaborative will significantly strengthen the Division's capacity to serve the mental health needs of Illinois consumers and their families. The Collaborative has offices in Chicago and Springfield with additional field-based staff throughout Illinois.
In addition to being responsible for key administrative functions, ValueOptions® reviews provider and state-operated facilities care to both improve quality and assure the appropriateness of community and hospital-based mental health services for which DMH is responsible. The contract covers the 166,000 Illinois residents who use DMH-funded services and the approximately 200 providers who serve them.