Ruth Ahearn

Ruth Ahearn, MA, joined the Meadows Institute with over 18 years of experience in community behavioral health, focusing the last 10 years on specialty behavioral and integrated healthcare for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders experiencing chronic homelessness. Ruth’s expertise lies in developing and implementing programs that promote integrated, person-centered care with trauma informed practices for vulnerable populations, all in collaboration with community stakeholders. Ruth is committed to identifying and dismantling barriers that prevent access to quality mental health services and believes in using data driven approaches to guide this work.

In her most recent role, Ruth was the Practice Administrator for Housing and Healthcare for the Homeless Initiatives for Integral Care. In this position, she provided the clinical oversight and leadership for multiple initiatives including a 15-bed shelter for Veterans experiencing homelessness, a mobile integrated behavioral health and primary care team and Central Texas’s first Housing First Permanent Supportive Housing Apartment complex.

In her role at the Meadows Institute, Ruth works to advance the Institute’s efforts in the specialty healthcare sector. This includes supporting community assessments, driving continuous improvement for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) across the state, and enhancing the quality and continuity of care for individuals with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. Additionally, Ruth collaborates across teams to support the implementation of clinical best practices in specialty care and improve access to care for children, youth, and adults with complex needs.

Ruth received her BA in Psychology from New College of Florida and her Masters in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Ruth lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, son, and two overly enthusiastic dogs.