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KVC Health Systems

KVC Health Systems and KVC Hospitals Announce New Top Leaders

Ryan Speier KVC Hospitals

Speier

Jason Hooper KVC Health Systems

Hooper

Jason Hooper, President of KVC Hospitals, has been appointed President of its parent organization KVC Health Systems effective July 1. The change means that Hooper will go from managing KVC’s $22-million children’s psychiatric hospitals division to leading a $135-million, 1,300-employee organization that provides medical and behavioral healthcare, social services and education in multiple states. Current KVC Health Systems President and CEO B. Wayne Sims will continue as CEO.

Ryan Speier has been named President of KVC Hospitals effective July 1. He was previously Vice President of Administration for KVC Hospitals.

KVC is a private, nonprofit organization best known for child welfare and behavioral healthcare leadership, particularly in Kansas where it began 45 years ago. It is responsible for more than half of all children and families served by the Kansas child welfare system, including over 3,200 Kansas children in foster care on any given day. Some of KVC’s best-known achievements include significantly increasing family-based care of children in foster care as opposed to group homes; safely reducing the average length of stay for children in residential psychiatric treatment to about 80 days as compared to 9-12 months in other states; and earning national attention for integrating trauma-informed care into child welfare and related systems. These achievements led several U.S. states and countries including Canada and Singapore to request consultation from KVC.

About Jason Hooper

Jason R. Hooper, L.M.S.W. has been with KVC for over 20 years. In his previous role as President of KVC Hospitals, he managed a hospital system that each year serves thousands of children and adolescents who struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and feelings of violence. The population of youth served by KVC Hospitals is clinically and medically complex and requires innovative, evidence-based treatment approaches to ensure immediate safety and long-term wellbeing. In the last seven years, Hooper exponentially increased KVC Hospitals’ revenue and diversified the client base to serve private families and military family members in addition to children in the child welfare system. These positive business changes came about while achieving strong safety and wellbeing outcomes such as safely reducing lengths of stay, increasing child stability after discharge, and maintaining a low readmission rate. Hooper has also expanded KVC Hospitals’ consultation and community education, with its core leadership team of experts and its thriving learning environment that trains over 150 students each year.

Hooper is a forward-thinker and a visionary, eager to lead national trends in areas such as the integration of medical and behavioral healthcare, the unfolding lessons of neuroscience, the importance of evidence-based practices, and the need to innovate constantly. He champions a culture that is trauma-informed, technology-based, team-oriented and unafraid to lean into the curve. In addition to KVC Hospitals where he started years ago as a behavioral health technician, he has also worked for KVC Kansas as a case manager, resource coordinator and administrative director and for KVC West Virginia as Executive Director. KVC’s Board of Directors and Executive Team are confident in Hooper’s expanded leadership role due to his diverse industry experience, management expertise and embodiment of KVC values.

Follow Jason Hooper on Twitter @jasonrhooper

About Ryan Speier

Ryan Speier, L.M.S.W., Vice President of Administration for KVC Hospitals, has been named President of KVC Hospitals. Speier has been with KVC for 8 years. He began his career as a therapist in inpatient, outpatient and in-home settings. In 2009, Speier was selected to be Director of Administration at KVC Hospitals and later, Vice President of Administration. In that role, he has overseen the hospitals’ operations, strategic development and growth, fiscal accountability and quality assurance initiatives. He has worked in collaboration with physicians and clinical teams to implement trauma-focused treatment modalities and led programs through accreditation and licensing surveys, routinely exceeding state and national standards. Over the last several years, Speier has developed collaborative relationships with government agencies and other community stakeholders. Speier also brings a strong and innovative technology background at a key time when KVC is leveraging technology across the medical and behavioral health environments to achieve improved population health.

Follow Ryan Speier on Twitter @Ryan_Speier

About KVC Health Systems, Inc.

KVC Health Systems, headquartered in the greater Kansas City area, is a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that enriches and enhances the lives of over 50,000 children and families each year by providing medical and behavioral healthcare, social services, and education. KVC’s diverse continuum of services includes foster care, adoption, in-home family therapy, behavioral healthcare, and children’s psychiatric hospitals. In its 45-year history, KVC has grown since from a single Kansas home for boys to a national organization serving tens of thousands of children in five states. Learn more at www.kvc.org

Follow KVC Health Systems on Facebook or on Twitter @KVCkids 

Media Contact:
Jenny Kutz, Director of Communications
jkutz@kvc.org
(913) 322-4994