Paso del Norte Center at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Announces Founding Leadership Cabinet Members
Detail page
EL PASO – Paso del Norte Center at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute on Tuesday introduced its founding leadership cabinet members at a community reception. The Center, which launched in July 2021, provides policy and program guidance for regional initiatives and advances mental health awareness efforts in the Paso del Norte region.
“My fellow cabinet members and I are incredibly honored to serve on the Paso del Norte Center’s founding leadership cabinet to further advance mental health improvements in our community,” said Sharon Butterworth, Chair of the Leadership Cabinet. “Improving access to quality mental health care across our region is a personal passion, and I am inspired by the opportunity to work alongside such visionary leaders to further bring about significant improvements to mental health care in the years to come.”
The Center, which is part of the Meadows Institute, was established by a $1.5 million grant from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, with the objective of building upon a series of significant improvements made to the region’s mental health care systems over the past several years.
“The new PdN Center and leadership cabinet members will bring new perspectives to the work of the El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium leaders and help to inform important next steps to improve the mental health system of care,” said Tracy Yellen, CEO, Paso del Norte Health Foundation and Paso del Norte Community Foundation.
“Each founding member brings a unique set of talents and qualifications to our leadership cabinet, which will help guide and advance the mission of the Paso del Norte Center,” said Enrique Mata, the Center’s Executive Director. “This new center, along with our new leadership cabinet, reinforces a commitment to the region to improve mental and behavioral health for everyone in our community.”
“The founding leadership cabinet members represent incredible talent and experience, as well as a shared commitment to making the region a model for community-led mental health improvements,” said Andy Keller, President and CEO of the Meadows Institute. “With a dedicated regional focus, the Paso del Norte Center will build on significant advances made over the last several years, deepen collaborative relationships, and further improve mental health systems and programs to address challenges specific to the Paso del Norte region.”
Left to Right: Dr. Andy Keller, Ms. Sharon Butterworth, Mr. Mark Walker, Ms. Stacey Hunt Spier, Ms.Lisa Peisen Richardson, Mr. Enrique Mata, and Ms. Tracy Yellen.
Founding Leadership Cabinet Members:
- Sharon Butterworth, Chair, Mental Health Advocate
- Tracy Yellen, Vice Chair, CEO of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation and Paso del Norte Community Foundation
- Lisa Piesen, L&F Distributors
- Stacy Hunt Spier, Hunt Family Foundation
- John T. Hjalmquist, Pizza Properties Inc.
- Mark Walker, Attorney, Dickinson Wright
- Henry Gallardo, Strategic Wealth Advisors
About Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
Launched in 2014, the Meadows Institute helps legislators, state officials, members of the judiciary, and local, state, and national leaders identify equitable systemic solutions to mental health needs and has become Texas’s most trusted source for data-driven mental health policy. The Meadows Institute is making a significant impact in multiple areas, helping Texas and national leaders shift the focus of new investments toward early intervention, addressing the mental health crisis in our jails and emergency rooms, and helping all people with mental health needs recover and be well. Learn more at https://mmhpi.org.
About Paso del Norte Health Foundation
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation (Health Foundation) leads, leverages, and invests in initiatives, programs and policies to promote health and prevent disease in the Paso del Norte region. The Health Foundation was established in 1995 from the sale of Providence Memorial Hospital to Tenet Healthcare Corporation. The Health Foundation seeks to ensure that the people living in far west Texas, southern New Mexico and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico have the knowledge, resources and skills to lead healthy lives. The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is a supporting organization of the Paso del Norte Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.pdnhf.org .