CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Oneida County appoints Ashlee Thompson as new mental health commissioner

Observer-Dispatch - 10/30/2020

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. has named a new mental health commissioner.

Ashlee Thompson, Rome Memorial Hospital's former director of Outpatient Behavioral Health Services, will fill the position. She started Monday, Oct. 26.

Thompson takes over for Robin O'Brien, who retired in June. Deputy Commissioner of Family and Community Services Michael Romano had been temporarily overseeing the Mental Health Department in the interim.

“For the past 14 years, Ashlee Thompson has been making a huge impact on this community in terms of direct clinical care, the treatment of chemical dependency and the provision of behavioral health services,” Picente said in a statement. “I believe that her administrative experience and strong leadership will be an asset to Oneida County government and I am confident she will take our Mental Health Department in a new and positive direction.”

Thompson started her career in 2006 as a chemical dependency counselor at Insight House in Utica. After four years at Insight House, she joined Rome Memorial Hospital as a chemical dependency counselor and supervisor for five years prior to her promotion.

She is a master level Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) through the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), according to the county. Thompson has also served on the Rome Community Schools Advisory Board and the Oneida County Opioid Task Force.

“I am excited to have this opportunity and thankful to County Executive Picente for appointing me,” Thompson said in a statement. “I look forward to working with our local healthcare providers, treatment agencies and law enforcement, and to serving the people within Oneida County to enhance behavioral health services in our area. I know that working together we will be able to positively impact change. I am eager to see what we will be able to accomplish.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County appoints Ashlee Thompson as new mental health commissioner

___

(c)2020 Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y.

Visit Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y. at www.uticaod.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.