Newsbrief (Atlanta, Ga.)

Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases

Vol. 12 No.1

Pleasepost, distribute or reprint

January 3. 2003

The Division of

Mental Health,

Developmental Disabilities and

Addictive Diseases

.has

spent the last

few months

recruiting and selecting new

regional coordinators and

regional services administra-

tors for the seven new regions

that replaced the 13 MHDDAD

regions beginning October 1.

The new regional coordinators are senior-level managers who will strengthen the Department of Human Resources' accountability for services and bring more statewide consistency and coordination to the system. They are responsible for both state hospital and community services and for integrating the two into a single syst~m that is more easily accessible. They will develop relation$hips in the region to build support for MHDDAD services and enlist resources outside of M H D DAD / such as housing and employment opportulnities, to serve MH DDAD COJ!lsumers.

The regional services administrators will be the regional coordinators' chief staff person responsible for community-based services. The RSAs will ensure that the system has an array of community services, that consumers have access to those services and that the community providers have access to the prevention and disability program staff in the regional office when they need assistance. The RSA will advise the regional coordinator on contracts with community service providers.
All but one of the positions have been filled. The effective date for both positions varies from region to region and ranges from January 1, 2003, to February 16, 2003.
Who's who in each region
North Region
Charles Fetner will serve as the regional coordinator for the 31-county region. Fetner

has been the chief executive officer of the Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah since 2000. Previously, he held a variety of management positions within the Alabama state system, including four years as Alabama's associate commissioner for mental health. The regional services administrator will be Sarah Grim, who has been a health care consultant in Columbia, Missouri since 2001.
East Central Region
The regional coordinator for the 23-county region has not yet been named; however, Andrew McCollum, who previously served as the regional executive director for the old Region 12 since 1997, will serve as the regional services administrator.
Metro Region Earnestine Pittman will
manage the six-county metro Atlanta region as regional coordinator. For the last nine years she was the MHDDAD regional executive director for
continuedon back

~ Peachtree Street,NW, Room 22-492 Atlanta, Georgia, 30303 404-657-2270

FAX 404-657-2256

Fulton County. Paul vander Straeten will serve as the regional services administrator. He has been the associate director ~f operations at Trend Communlity Mental Health Services iln Hendersonville, North Carolina since 1985.
West Central Region
G~g Hoyt, who has been the lexecutive director for the West ICentral Regional
Board under the old system since 2.oqo, will be the new regional 4oordinator for the 31county r~gion. Prior to his service with IMHDDAD, he had been assi$tant commissioner of the Alabalma Department of Human R~sources. The new regional s:ervices administrator is Michael Swingle, who joined MHDDAD in 2.000 to serve as regional ~xecutive director
~ first for t e old Northwest
Region a d later for the Cobb/Do glas region.
Central Region
Th new regional coordinator w II be Ralph McCuin, who will versee MHDDAD services i 23 counties. He has been the egional executive director f r the old Southeast Coastal R gional Board since 1998 and as been with DHR in various positions since 1974. Arthur Ca der, the former

executive director for the Region 8 MHDDAD Regional Board since 2000, will become the regional services administrator.
Southwest Region
David Sofferin will leave his position as chief executive officer of Southwestern State Hospital (SWSH) to become the regional coordinator of the Southwest Region, with 23 counties. Sofferin has been CEO of the hospital for the last eight and one-half years. Under his leadership, the hospital developed assertive community treatment and other community-based services aimed at helping people avoid hospitalization. The hospital also operates highly-rated community homes for people with developmental disabilities who had lived in institutions. Beverly Bajerski, SWSH's deputy superintendent, will become the interim hospital services administrator for the region. Former southwest Georgia regional executive director, Kenneth Brandon, will become the new regional services administrator. Brandon had been regional executive director since 1998.
Southeast Reg ion
In the 24-county southeast region, Rosa Kamson, for-

mer corporate director of St. John's Health System in Detroit, Michigan, will become the regional coordinator. Cathy McRae, who has served as a regional executive director since 1993, most recently for the South Georgia Region (old Region 11), will be the regional services administrator. Frank Drummond will serve as interim hospital services administrator for Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah to fill in for Charles Fetner who moved to the regional coordinator position for the North Region. Drummond has been the clinical director of the hospital.
The transition to the new regional system continues as regional staff assume new duties and some regional offices relocate over the next six months.
For more information, contact Margaret Bradford, project director, at 404/6575738 or email: m bradfor@dhr.state.ga.us.