VENTURA, CA — The Ventura County Health Care Agency, as approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors on July 12, 2022, selected Scott Gilman to serve as the new Director of the Behavioral Health Department, effective August 21, 2022.
As Director, Gilman will lead the County’s continuum of coordinated mental health and substance use services, serving Ventura County residents and Medi-Cal beneficiaries who have moderate to severe needs. He will oversee a staff of over 800 employees and a department budget of $254 million. Gilman will also be responsible for locally implementing transformative efforts and what are considered generational changes to the approach and delivery of mental health services in California through the integration of Substance Use Service and Mental Health services, and fully implementing CalAIM and the transition to a managed care model.
The position became vacant when former Director, Dr. Sevet Johnson, was selected to serve as the Chief Deputy Director of the Health Care Agency, and now serves as the Interim Chief Executive Officer for the County of Ventura. After a nationwide recruitment, Mr. Gilman was chosen based on his experience and success in leading other public health care systems and ability to engage stakeholders.
“Mr. Gilman is the right person for the current time we are in-he has faced challenges in his career and succeeded; I am confident he will move forward initiatives to expand the behavioral health continuum while partnering with stakeholders to serve our County residents,” said Dr. Sevet Johnson, Interim County Executive Officer.
Gilman mostly recently served as the Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for the County of San Mateo, California where he strategized a county-wide Mental Health First Aid Training initiative aimed at championing and addressing mental health wellness, anti-stigma, early intervention, and suicide awareness collectively with local cities.
“Throughout Mr. Gilman’s thirty-year career, he has demonstrated innovation when charged with developing and implementing new initiatives. This will serve our Agency and community well as we navigate these new statewide efforts to improve access and quality of care,” said Barry Zimmerman, Director of the Ventura County Health Care Agency.
In past senior leadership roles, Gilman developed a fully integrated mental health and substance use system of care that included six counties and has influenced statewide policy as an Executive Director in Michigan.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saginaw Valley State University and a master’s degree in Science in Administration from Central Michigan University.
Gilman is passionate about public service and the ability to make a difference in the lives of those the County serves.
For more information about the Behavioral Health Department, including programs, services, and resources, visit www.vcbh.org.
