Journey to a Tobacco-free Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC): A Conversation, co-hosted with NBHN

Mary Pat Angelini is CEO of Preferred Behavioral Health Group since 2013. Prior to her current role at PBHG, she served as Executive Director of Prevention First since 1992. Both non-profits have been the recipient of many awards under her leadership. Mary Pat served in NJ’s General Assembly from 2008-2016 as Deputy Conference Leader and ranking member of the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee as well as the Assembly Human Services Committee. While in the Legislature, Ms. Angelini sponsored legislation to improve the conditions at state psychiatric hospitals, and to address underage drinking and drug abuse. Mary Pat has received numerous awards over her career including NJAMHAA’s “Legislative Champion for Improving Treatment” and was chosen by the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County to receive the “Tony Dowling Child Advocacy” Award. Most recently she was named by NJBIZ as “Best 50 Women in Business”. Mary Pat earned a Bachelor of Social Welfare from East Tennessee State University and a Master of Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a Certified Prevention Specialist.

Jack Todd Wahrenberger is a Family Practice physician who works in Pittsburgh, Pa. as the Chief Medical Officer at the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System. He studied Medicine and Public Health at the University Of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he obtained an MD and MPH degree. Dr. Wahrenberger co-founded the North Side Christian Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center that serves uninsured and underserved persons in the inner city of Pittsburgh. He served as the Medical Director of this FQHC for 16 years. In 2012, Dr. Wahrenberger joined Pittsburgh Mercy Health System to start a fully integrated primary care clinic that serves as the medical and mental health home for over 5,000 individuals as part of SAMHSA’s PBHCI grant program. In 2017, Dr. Wahrenberger became the Chief Medical Officer and oversees a medical staff consisting of 15 Psychiatrist, 8 CRNP’s and 5 Primary Care Providers. Pittsburgh Mercy is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, which provides a wide array of services including 4 ACT teams, a crisis center, partial hospitalization programs, adult, child and adolescent outpatient mental health, outpatient primary care, street medicine, as well as services for those with intellectual disabilities. Dr. Wahrenberger also serves on the Medical Director Institute at the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Clement Nsiah, Ph.D., M.S., is the Director of the CCBHC-E National Training and Technical Assistance Center. He joined the National Council from BestSelf Behavioral Health where he led the agency’s Population Health and Evaluation team. At BestSelf, Dr. Nsiah oversaw the agency’s population health initiatives and projects implemented to improve the health outcomes of patients who visited the agency’s community-based clubhouses and clinics. Dr. Nsiah also served as a member and advisor to the agency’s Quality Improvement department. Over the years, Dr. Nsiah’s primary focus has been on leading the execution and performance monitoring of population health strategies and clinical priorities. He has partnered with healthcare leaders to improve health outcomes and contribute to sustainable medical cost trends through access to safe and effective healthcare. Throughout his career, Dr. Nsiah has authored several manuscripts and continues to focus on his doctoral research study of health insurance's impact on successful tobacco cessation outcomes.

Hope Rothenberg currently serves as Project Manager, Practice Improvement and Consulting at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. In this role, Hope leads project activities for CDC-funded initiatives including the National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco & Cancer Control (NBHN) which is 1 of 8 CDC National Networks committed to eliminating tobacco and cancer-related disparities and advancing health equity. In 2019, she graduated magna cum laude from the George Washington University with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Health and a major in psychology. Prior to her role at the National Council, she served as the Coordinator of Education at the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, where she provided technical assistance to international healthcare philanthropists. Hope has extensive experience in event coordination and project management and is passionate about improving access to and quality of mental health and substance use treatment services.