New OhioMHAS Hospital Services Chief Named

The Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce the selection of Kent Hess, MHA, FACHE, as the Chief of Hospital Services.

Hess will oversee all regional psychiatric hospitals, supervising the Central Office team of Operations, Nursing, Clinical Services, and Quality. Each RPH CEO will directly report to Hess as well. He brings a servant leadership approach to the work, OhioMHAS has said, with an emphasis on teamwork and focus on objective metrics and quality. He will report to John Kennedy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the department. Hess will assume his new role on July 28.

Hess served as a Captain in the Army Medical Services Corps at Fort Knox before moving to Clearfield, PA, where he assumed the CEO role at Clearfield Hospital. In 2004, he joined The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he held several leadership positions, including Executive Director, COO, and Interim CEO at various facilities, including OSU East, Harding Hospital, and University Hospital. Most recently, he served as CEO of Sun Behavioral Hospital, a private psychiatric hospital in Columbus.