(Portland, OR) – Health Share of Oregon announced today the promotion of Dr. Maggie Bennington-Davis to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the state’s largest Coordinated Care Organization (CCO). Dr. Bennington-Davis takes on the position upon the retirement of Dr. David Labby, CMO since Health Share’s founding in 2012. In addition, Dr. Helen Bellanca, formerly manager of Health Share’s Maternal Child Family program, has been appointed Associate Medical Director. The changes are effective July 8, 2015.
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bennington-Davis will lead the CCO’s work in delivery system transformation. Using data and metrics to ensure Health Share’s clinical transformation initiatives are measureable, reliable and designed to achieve the Triple Aim, she will help facilitate provider-driven change at the primary health team level, as well as across the model of care continuum.
“I am looking forward to furthering the health transformation work David Labby has already begun in patient engagement, population health, and system development,” said Dr. Bennington-Davis. “Under David’s leadership, Health Share has built the foundation for a regionally integrated patient-centered system, particularly in mental health and addictions services, for our members and for our community.”
Previous to joining Health Share in May 2015, Dr. Bennington-Davis served as the Chief Medical Officer and, since 2008, also Chief Operating Officer for Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare. In those roles, she provided leadership for mental health and addictions medical services, including innovative programs like Project Respond, a mobile mental-health crisis response team that provides crisis intervention 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; a 7-day a week walk-in mental health crisis clinic; and Crisis Respite, which serves as a short-term step down or alternative to the hospital. Prior to Cascadia, Dr. Bennington-Davis served as Psychiatry Medical Director for a regional medical center (Salem Hospital), as well as hospital Chief of Staff. Dr. Bennington-Davis completed her psychiatry residency at Oregon Health Sciences University, where she remains on the faculty, and a Masters of Medical Management degree at Tulane University School of Public Health in 2005.
Dr. Labby, who will remain at Health Share in a part-time capacity, will continue to focus on solutions to address Oregon’s opioid epidemic and will be championing early childhood health and prevention, pursuing the goal of ensuring every child in our community is healthy and ready for kindergarten by age five.
Also moving into a new and expanded role at Health Share is Dr. Helen Bellanca, who has developed and led the Maternal, Child, Family Health program since joining the CCO in January 2013. Focusing on reproductive age women and children through age five, Dr. Bellanca has developed several successful programs and partnerships, most notably Project Nurture, which supports prenatal care for women with substance abuse disorders.
Dr. Bellanca received her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, followed by a residency at Oregon Health and Science University. Prior to joining Health Share, she served as a public health physician at the Oregon Public Health Institute, was the Medical Director for the Oregon Foundation for Reproductive Health, and continues to practice as a Family Physician at Federally-Qualified Community Health Clinics in the area.
About Health Share of Oregon
Serving over 245,000 members in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties, Health Share of Oregon is a unique community-wide partnership created to ensure quality, cost-effective physical, dental and mental health care for Oregon Health Plan members. With a network of over 16,000 providers, including over 900 dentists, Health Share provides an integrated community delivery system with the objective of achieving better care, better health and lower costs for the Medicaid population and for the region.
Health Share is a collaborative of 11 founding partners: Adventist Health, CareOregon, Central City Concern, Clackamas County, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Multnomah County, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Health & Services, Tuality Health Alliance and Washington County.
