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Wayne Young, MBA, LPC, FACHE Chief Executive Officer
Wayne Young currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (The Harris Center), the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Harris County. As the CEO of the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, Mr. Young oversees the planning and delivery of behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to over 88,000 people per year and manages an annual budget of over $270 million.
Prior to joining The Harris Center, Mr. Young served as the Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health and Administrator of Trinity Springs Pavilion and Trinity Springs North for JPS Health Network in Ft. Worth, Texas. He also previously served as the regional executive director of a managed behavioral healthcare organization and held other leadership positions within the behavioral health and insurance industries.
Mr. Young currently serves as the chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council, and has served in leadership roles in various professional organizations such as the American Hospital Association and the Texas Hospital Association. In addition, Mr. Young has served on numerous boards, including those of the Institute for Behavioral Health Improvement and Mental Health America of Tarrant County.
Mr. Young received a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies as well as a Master of Education in Community Counseling from Texas Tech University. Subsequently, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from the University of Dallas. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
As a response to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (The Harris Center) is collaborating with Harris County to lead a new community wellness and resiliency program to support communities in Harris County, Texas. Healthy Minds, Healthy Communities, a locally led mental wellness and resiliency initiative, will focus on ten Harris County zip codes (i.e.,77093, 77504, 77022, 77076, 77090, 77060, 77033, 77091, 77038, 77450) that underutilize traditional mental health care and have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as well other public health issues, such as suicide. The program aims to leverage natural and existing social support systems to create a community-led network of emotional supports and assistance.
HOUSTON, TX (June 23, 2021) – Following a competitive national search, The Harris Center is pleased to announce Luming Li, M.D., M.H.S. as the organization’s new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Li will officially join the organization on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, in cooperation with Harris County Probate Court 3 and the University of Houston, has received a grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for an Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program for people with serious mental illness.
HOUSTON, October 1, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of individuals who are homeless and have mental illnesses. It is not only the unhealthy conditions on the streets that make the unsheltered homeless “at-risk” to COVID-19; most suffer from underlying, chronic health conditions. An estimated 15-25% of individuals experiencing homelessness throughout Harris County and the greater Houston area suffer from severe mental health issues making it difficult for city, county and local partners to quickly assist and house them out of harm’s way. Social distancing requirements have also reduced homeless shelter capacity. These extremely acute individuals have a large impact on first responders and hospitals by routinely requiring emergency intervention. These individuals increase the risk of COVID-19 exposure to first responders and the community
August 17, 2021 - Holmusk, a leading global data science and health technology company building the world’s largest Real-World Evidence (RWE) platform for behavioral health, has signed data license agreements with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (The Harris Center) in Harris County, Texas.
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD received $836,243 from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) COVID-19 Telehealth Program to enhance its telehealth service infrastructure. The FCC received funding for this program through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act. The FCC funds will enable The Harris Center to further expand access to behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services for Harris County residents via telehealth platforms.
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The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD strives to provide high quality, efficient, and cost effective services so that persons with mental disabilities may live with dignity as fully functioning, participating, and contributing members of our community, regardless of their ability to pay based on a sliding scale rate schedule. Privacy Statement Contact Us