Kurtis Young

Kurtis Young, MSSW, LCSW, has an extensive background in social work and behavioral health services. He began his career working with individuals experiencing homeless and near-homeless in Omaha, Nebraska. After moving to Dallas, Texas in 2005, he worked in foster care and adoption while pursuing his Masters of Science in Social Work.

In 2009, Kurtis started working at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas. He began as a night shift employee in the Psychiatric Emergency Room, where he worked with patients experiencing acute mental health conditions for six years. He then joined the leadership team within the Behavioral Health Department at Parkland.  During his tenure at Parkland, Kurtis was involved in several operational projects at the hospital, including the expansion of the inpatient psychiatric unit, the creation of the Triage Social Worker role, and the development of an LCSW position. He also partnered with several outpatient community mental health providers to create and streamline warm handoffs and worked with the Local Behavioral Health Authority to create and operate the first Extended Observation Unit within an acute care hospital. In 2017, Kurtis worked in partnership with the Meadows Institute on the SMART Justice project in the Dallas area. The project focused on the implementation of both the Loopback Analytics data sharing project and the RIGHT Care Team.

In his role at the Meadows Institute, Kurtis serves as the Vice President of Specialty Healthcare, where he works to develop and implement specialty health care services and enhance the quality and continuum of care for people with complex care needs.

Kurtis Young received his Bachelors of Social Work degree from Creighton University in 2004 and his Masters of Science in Social Work degree from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2008. Kurtis is an avid traveler and in his free time enjoys hiking, photography, and playing piano. He lives in downtown Dallas, TX, with his cat, Devon, and boxer, Jackson.