Sara Kendall Joins MHA as Vice President of Clinical Operations

SPRINGFIELD — Sara Kendall, MSW, LICSW, has joined MHA as the organization’s new vice president of Clinical Operations.

Kendall, whose graduate program focused on clinical social work, has been practicing for the better part of two decades. Before joining MHA, she worked for a crisis service provider in Springfield, held positions in quality assurance and management for mental-health organizations, and, most recently, provided quality and practice-management oversight for a clinical organization providing services through the multi-setting Outpatient Behavioral Health Services and Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative.

Among Kendall’s key responsibilities at MHA is the management and oversight of the agency’s new Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic, which opens in early 2019 at 153 Magazine St. in Springfield.

“I am thrilled for the opportunities in front of me,” said Kendall. “My goal is to help MHA deliver evidence-based practices for folks who are experiencing mental-health, substance-use or co-occurring disorders, such as substance-use and mental-health concerns, which is a common experience. Because MHA looks at the global person, we will provide integrated care coordination and case management, not only a one-hour therapy session.

“As we prepare to open our new Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic,” she went on, “we will continue to grow our staff, adding more well-trained professionals who bring the same spirit that MHA demonstrates with every individual served. We want to be the compassionate, caring emotional-wellness go-to by truly integrating ourselves in every part of our community. Our focus is trauma-informed, so the environment we provide is safe, trusted, transparent, and collaborative. We know that the path of recovery is unique for every person, never one size fits all. The people we serve will be able to rely upon MHA for safe direction along their own path. Our goal is to help each person in our care live their best life.”

Cheryl Fasano, president and CEO of MHA, expressed her confidence in Kendall. “We are excited to add Sara to our leadership team,” she said. “She brings the kind of professional experience and management know-how that is crucial for the success of MHA’s growing clinical operations. Her hire is an intentional, strategic move that helps our organization as we look for opportunities to enhance services to current clients while expanding services to our community. With Sara on board, we expect MHA will be better-positioned to diversify our funding sources, enabling us to broaden our continuum of care.”