Ozark Center Director Selected for State Leadership Position

Joplin, Mo. – Mary Parrigon, Executive Director of Ozark Center, the behavioral health division of Freeman Health System, was recently selected as the Chairman of the Missouri Coalition of Community Behavioral Healthcare Executive Board effective July 1, 2015. 

The Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare (formerly Missouri Coalition of Community Mental Health Centers), founded in 1978, represents Missouri’s not-for-profit community mental health centers, as well as alcohol and addiction treatment agencies, affiliated community psychiatric rehabilitation service providers and a clinical call center.

Thirty-two member agencies staffed with more than 9,500 caring and qualified staff annually provide treatment and support services to approximately 250,000 clients.

“To be selected to chair the coalition’s executive board is an honor not only for me, but for Ozark Center and the entire Freeman Health System. We are proud of the work we do at Ozark Center and believe our quality of behavioral healthcare is second to none. It’s gratifying that the statewide coalition has recognized Ozark Center’s leadership in the field by making this selection,” said Parrigon.

Ozark Center provides mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services, serving 14,000 individuals annually and employing 520 talented staff.

Freeman Health System – Celebrating 90 Years
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2014, Freeman earned 90 individual awards for medical excellence and safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report ranked Freeman #1 Hospital in Southwest Missouri in 2014-15, and The Leapfrog Group gave Freeman the highest grade possible in the Fall 2014 Hospital Safety Score. With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 60 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com or facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem or follow Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker at twitter.com/freemanceo. #FreemanTurns90

About Ozark Center
An integral component of Freeman Health System based in Joplin, Mo., Ozark Center provides comprehensive behavioral health services to children, adults, and families in an area that includes more than 450,000 residents from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ozark Center continually looks for innovative ways to address the mental health needs of the community and promote awareness of mental illness in an effort to eliminate the discrimination associated with it. For more information, visit ozarkcenter.com or call 417.347.7600.