Movers & Shakers: Beacon Taps Aetna Alum As New President; Charlie Health Names Chief Clinical Officer

Beacon announces new president 

Beacon Health Options — an Anthem-owned (NYSE: ANTM) behavioral health company that serves one out of six people nationwide — has named a new president.

Glenn MacFarlane comes to the position from Aetna, where he was Medicaid Northeast Territory Leader and plan president for the New Jersey market. Before that, he also served as president and CEO of Affinity Health Plan, one of the largest managed care plans in the New York metropolitan market.

Headquartered in Boston, Beacon works with employers, health plans and government agencies to provide mental health services and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment to more than 40 million customers across all 50 states. Before being purchased by Anthem last year, the company billed itself as the largest independent behavioral health organization in the nation.

In his new role at Beacon, MacFarlane will take over for Susan Coakley, who has served as interim president since May 2020, according to LinkedIn.

“The rapid and unexpected onset of COVID-19 has brought greater awareness to behavioral health as a critically important aspect to improving the lives of the people in our communities,” MacFarlane said in a press release announcing the news. “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of president for an organization that has been an industry leader in addressing the complex behavioral health needs of our communities. As we look to the future, Beacon will continue finding new, flexible approaches and methods to connect members to care in the way they want to receive it.”

Charlie Health names chief clinical officer

Charlie Health — a first-of-its-kind virtual mental health clinic for high acuity teens, young adults and families experiencing mental health crises — has named a new chief clinical officer. 

Co-founder Caroline Fenkel has been appointed to the role. In the new position, she will oversee clinical programing, while also developing and supervising teams and treatment programs.

Charlie Health customizes treatment plans by matching patients with peer groups where other members are experiencing similar challenges. Patients also are assigned masters-level, licensed therapists to help with their individual needs.

AKUA Behavioral Health names new EVP

AKUA Behavioral Health — a mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider — has named a new executive vice president of its AKUA Strong facility, located in Newport Beach, California.

Sarah Dewey, a clinical forensic psychologist, comes to the position after serving as a program director for the provider in Costa Mesa, California. 

AKUA has locations across the Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego regions. Its centers provide residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, treatment and virtual treatment. It serves individuals with mental health conditions, SUDs, alcohol use disorder and co-occurring disorders.