Tucson, AZ, Dec. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TUCSON, Ariz. (Dec. 15, 2022) — Sierra Tucson, a nationally recognized residential and outpatient behavioral health treatment center, announced the promotion of its CEO, Dr. Valerie Kading, to the position of VP of medical and clinical development at Acadia Healthcare.
Sierra Tucson has also named Dr. Derek Price its new CEO. Dr. Price brings seven years of experience in executive roles and has a track record of protecting patient safety and ensuring quality care.
Dr. Kading has served in leadership roles at Sierra Tucson for seven years. Since joining Sierra Tucson in 2015, Dr. Kading has held the positions of chief medical operations officer, interim chief medical officer and chief operations officer. Dr. Kading also served as CEO of California-based facilities Sierra by the Sea and Sunrise Recovery Ranch before assuming the position of group CEO for Sierra Tucson.
“The past seven years at Sierra Tucson in various leadership roles, including Group CEO, have been extremely rewarding and filled with a relentless pursuit of innovation and driving exceptional patient outcomes,” said Dr. Kading.
“Over these past years, I was fortunate to establish and also strengthen many relationships with professionals and leaders in healthcare. I am beyond thrilled to take this next step in my career as VP of Clinical and Medical Development at Acadia Healthcare as we focus on further developing world-class mental health and substance use care.”
Dr. Kading has been a speaker at many national and international conferences on topics such as adverse childhood experiences, maternal mental health, postpartum depression and trauma-informed care. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from New Mexico State University at Las Cruces, New Mexico, along with a master’s degree in nursing, a Bachelor of Science in nursing, a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a Master of Business Administration.
Dr. Kading will begin serving Jan. 2, 2023, in her new role with Acadia Healthcare, where she will be responsible for evaluating and optimizing clinical and medical programming for Acadia’s specialty and acute facilities across the nation.
Derek Price, Sierra Tucson’s incoming CEO, has spent the past three years as CEO of Desert Hope Treatment Center, a 150-bed detox and residential treatment center that has a partial hospitalization program, an intensive outpatient program and a sober living facility.
During his time as CEO of Desert Hope, Dr. Price secured Joint Commission accreditation with a score exceeding 99%. He also implemented leadership training and cultural development programs and led the facility through the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, exceeding both CDC and state safety measures for both patients and employees.
Dr. Price’s diverse professional background includes playing professional football, opening more than a dozen chiropractic clinics, serving as a leadership consultant and spearheading numerous philanthropic projects.
About Sierra Tucson
Sierra Tucson is a nationally recognized provider of residential and outpatient treatment for adults who are struggling with addictions, trauma, chronic pain, mood and anxiety disorders, and co-occurring conditions. Located on 160 acres in Tucson, Arizona, the campus offers a serene environment to focus on healing and recovery. Treatment options at Sierra Tucson include inpatient treatment, residential care, partial hospitalization programming, intensive outpatient programming and detoxification services. For more information, please visit www.sierratucson.com.
About Acadia Healthcare
Acadia is a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services across the United States. As of September 30, 2022, Acadia operated a network of 242 behavioral healthcare facilities with approximately 10,800 beds in 39 states and Puerto Rico. With more than 22,500 employees serving approximately 70,000 patients daily, Acadia is the largest stand-alone behavioral healthcare company in the U.S. Acadia provides behavioral healthcare services to its patients in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment facilities, residential treatment centers and outpatient clinics. For more information, please visit www.acadiahealthcare.com.
