Dr. Frank P. James Joins Mind Springs Health as Outpatient Medical Director
Mind Springs Health, the largest provider of mental health and addiction treatment in western Colorado, is pleased to announce that Frank P. James MD, JD, DFASAM, FACLM has joined the organization as outpatient medical director.
Dr. James brings a broad range of experience to Mind Springs Health, having recently served as president of Behavioral Health Services Consulting, a company dedicated to improving access to evidence-based mental health and substance use disorder treatment. For nearly a decade Dr. James held multiple leadership roles with United Healthcare and Optum, and provided national expertise for opioid services reimbursement.
In addition to providing leadership and guidance to medical providers within Mind Springs Health’s outpatient services, Dr. James will also provide psychiatric services to child and adolescent patients at West Springs Hospital in Grand Junction.
Dr. James earned a Bachelor of Arts in premedical studies and Japanese language at the University of Notre Dame and received both his Medical and Juris Doctorates from Southern Illinois University. He completed his general psychiatry internship and residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and is a veteran of the United States Army. He also completed fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and forensic psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
“Dr. James’ experience with substance use disorder treatment, specifically his expertise with opioid use disorder, is very impressive,” said Dr. William Elsass, Chief Medical Officer for Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital. “As the opioid crisis continues to prevail in small, rural communities throughout western Colorado, Dr. James will be an asset to our team providing medically-assisted treatment and ongoing therapy to patients with addiction. His business acumen is a welcome addition to our senior leadership team, and we’re looking forward to Dr. James’ contribution to our organization, both as a leader and as a psychiatrist.”
Currently Dr. James serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the prestigious professional medical society representing thousands of physicians, clinicians and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine.
Mind Springs Health is the Western Slope’s largest provider of counseling and therapy for mental wellness, and assists individuals and families dealing with and recovering from substance abuse and addiction. Covering a 23,000-square mile area in Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit counties, Mind Springs Health offers a continuum of mental health care with crisis response services, 12 offices for outpatient treatment, and West Springs Hospital, the only psychiatric hospital between Denver and Salt Lake City.