Jason Hooper, newly-named President of KVC Health Systems, has another new title: the Kansas City Business Journal (KCBJ) has recognized him a 2015 NextGen Leader.

According to the KCBJ, NextGen leaders are “up-and-coming Kansas City business leaders everybody is talking about — or will be in a few years. Some of the 2015 NextGen Leaders may be more familiar than others, but all of these honorees are contributing key leadership at their companies and in the community, and they are poised to take on larger roles in the coming years.”

The prediction came true quickly for Hooper. He was nominated for the award while he was in his previous role as President of KVC Hospitals, a division that operates children’s psychiatric hospitals.

Each year, KVC Hospitals serves thousands of children and adolescents who struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and feelings of violence. KVC uses innovative, evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment approaches to ensure each child’s safety and wellbeing.

Some of the achievements that helped Hooper win the award include:

• Exponentially increasing KVC Hospitals’ revenue over 7 years while simultaneously improving patient health outcomes (for example, KVC Hospitals’ readmission rate of just 9% stands in stark contrast to the national average for psychiatric hospitals of 20% or more)
• Achieving all-time records for the organization in terms of services provided
• Helping KVC become a model for The Joint Commission, considered the gold seal in global healthcare, by being the first organization in the U.S. to do a multiservice, complex accreditation survey
• Sharing a vision for national impact that includes bending the curve for tomorrow’s healthcare “super users” and breaking new ground in the integration of medical and mental/behavioral healthcare, and
• Demonstrating remarkable character in his work and personal life

As of July 1, 2015, Hooper is President of parent organization KVC Health Systems. He has embarked on a national listening tour to get input from the organization’s 1,300 employees in Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia on how to enhance engagement and build partnerships and collaborations between KVC and other organizations.

In an interview with the KCBJ’s Ashley Jost, Hooper stated, “I have worked with KVC for 20 years and I tell you it’s been absolutely wonderful. To say I’m looking forward to anything the most, it would probably be to broaden our experience with consumers and employees.”

See Hooper featured in the KCBJ’s NextGen supplement and view the other NextGen leaders.

Find Jason Hooper on Twitter @jasonrhooper and follow KVC Health Systems @kvckids