Data-focused healthcare executive with more than 30 years’ experience supporting providers, payers, state agencies and communities in achieving their business, operational and quality goals in health and human services. With significant expertise in managed behavioral health services administration and delivery, Christy’s career has included working as a state Medicaid leader, a national expert in substance abuse treatment systems and as chief executive for Arizona’s leading integrated behavioral health provider. A pioneer in behavioral and physical health integration, over time her interests grew to include health information technology and population health, using clinical data in value-based reimbursement contracts. She served as a member of the governing board of Health Current, Arizona’s HIE and later joined the organization to continue promoting adoption of health IT and data analytics through provider recruitment, education, and technical assistance.
Currently a Senior Associate with Open Minds, Christy served as Chief Business Development Office for Contexture (Health Current), where she led the company’s business growth efforts– including account management, sales, market research and marketing and communications. She developed provider education and training programs in using data to improve patient outcomes and led the Health Current HIE research data initiative in partnership with Arizona State University’s Knowledge Enterprise Center. Christy also served as co-principal investigator for a National Institute of Mental Health research project at ASU focused on health information sharing preferences among persons with serious mental illness.
For 10 years, Christy was CEO of Partners in Recovery, a Phoenix, Arizona agency serving adults with serious mental illnesses. At Partners she implemented fully integrated behavioral and primary care clinics and launched the company’s population health and complex care programs, including Arizona’s only Medical Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team. Prior to PIR, she served as Division Chief for Clinical and Recovery Services and Arizona’s state substance abuse director at the Arizona Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health.
She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and her master’s from the University of Arizona. Christy is the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions for her commitment to service and successful health and social outcomes for people, including the prestigious Behavioral Health Service Leadership Award from Arizona State University, the Outstanding Service and Leadership Award from the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, the Mercy Care Lifetime Achievement Award and the Mercy Care Mental Health Legacy Award. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling and cooking.