Elyssia Stratton
Acute Behavioral Health
Glen Allen
25
years of professional experience
Behavioral Health CEO, with a successful track record of fiscal management, regulatory compliance, record census, exceeding budget, and building a passionate and motivated workforce.
Work History
Chief Executive Officer
2 Years 6 Months- Managed daily operations of a 102-bed adolescent residential facility alongside an adolescent intensive outpatient center with over 250 staff members.
- Achieved significant budgetary profit increases year over year.
- Passed TJC, CMS, and state DBHDS surveys successfully.
- Transitioned to electronic medical records system effectively.
- Expanded facility capacity by adding 20 new beds.
- Maintained census at or near full capacity throughout most of 2025.
- Launched a new intensive outpatient center in 2026.
- Developed and implemented a formalized trauma-informed care program.
- Created a program track specifically for exploited youth.
- Adopted a client-led treatment philosophy, incorporating monthly resident advisory meetings.
- Identified and rectified deficiencies in the utilization review department, successfully reducing denials.
- Collaborated with CEO and leadership in a 'working manager' approach by engaging with staff in the milieu and conducting weekend rounds.
- Transformed punitive culture into a treatment-driven environment that emphasizes home passes and outings.
Chief Operating Officer
6 Years 2 Months- Hired highly effective leads companies
- Increased sales
- Customer relations and retention
- Managed expenses and billing
- Exceeded budgeted profits year over year
- Helped facilitate the addition of new products including solar installation
- Negotiated contractor services including roofing, appraisals, and sales leads
- Developed and maintained positive relations with lenders and inspectors
Senior VP of Psychiatric Services
2 Years 7 Months- VP over three behavioral health facilities in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Washington DC
- Participated in the acquisition of new facilities
- Hired and trained facility-level executives
- Negotiated managed care contracts
- Facilitated CMS accreditation
- Exceeded budgeted goals in 2016
- Employee development and trainings
Chief Executive Officer
2 Years 3 Months- Promoted to Three Rivers Behavioral Health, a 118-bed Acute and RTC hospital with PHP and IOP.
- Administrator over 12 senior managers and 300 hospital employees.
- Accomplished record census numbers and profits.
- EPOB and expenses under budget.
- Significant reductions in costs related to labs, pharmacy, H&P, ER, and WC.
- Improved ease of access and established strong referral source relationships.
- All TJC and state surveys were successful and resulted in maintained licensure and accreditation. 2013 state DHEC survey resulted in 0 deficiencies cited.
- Received the TJC Top Performer Award for successful outcomes.
- Established a successful Service Excellence Program with strong staff participation.
- Improved key clinical indicators: S&R and medication variances reduced by 50% from 2012 to 2013, mechanical restraints below UHS average in 2013, PSA compliance increased from 65% in 2012 to 99% in 2013.
- Successfully lobbied for an RTC/Acute 18 Swing Bed Proviso.
- Transitioned 18 of the 20 RTC beds to acute in 2014 in accordance with the proviso.
- Implemented a daytime CID IOP, and a daytime psychiatric IOP.
- Increased Patient Satisfaction Scores from an average of 4.34 to 4.47 through many performance improvement teams focused on Trauma-Informed Care, Food Satisfaction, and Employee Engagement.
Chief Executive Officer
2 Years 10 Months- Administrator of a 42-bed inpatient psychiatric and chemical dependency hospital with partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and a certified Suboxone clinic.
- Administrator over 12 senior managers and 75 medical, clinical, financial, and plant operations staff members.
- Accomplished record census numbers and profits.
- Expense reduction due to effective FTE management, elimination of agency staff, increased net revenue and lowered costs per patient day.
- Reorganized the management team to more successfully provide excellent patient care and in-depth fiscal management.
- Focused on business development by regularly meeting with referral sources to ensure satisfaction with our admission process, treatment, and care.
- Developed a strong safety program to increase awareness and safety within the hospital setting; substantiated by above average scores on our Employee Safety Culture Survey.
- Successfully maintained state, JC and CMS accreditation with no condition-level deficiencies.
- Improved morale with increased staff meetings and an open door leadership policy.
- Established a successful Service Excellence Program.
- Spearheaded high quality, low cost renovations and upgrades to the cafeteria, patient rooms, geriatric unit, board room, and exterior facility grounds.
- Developed and executed four new commercials with new tag line.
- Improved communication and problem resolution between the clinical and financial departments by implementing regular Business Process meetings.
- Received numerous accolades from corporate and the community for our successes.
- Under my administration, Arrowhead was often utilized as a standard and asked to provide tutelage to the entire division and individual facilities in areas of finance, agency elimination, FTE management, and other clinical areas.
CEO in Training/Chief Operating Officer
1 Year- Worked under the mentorship of the CEO of a 146-bed acute psychiatric hospital within the PSI corporate training system.
- Trained in all aspects of hospital administration.
- Actively participated in essential CEO functions such as strategic planning, in-depth fiscal management, and re-credentialing.
- Supervised the Marketing and Admissions departments to optimize effectiveness and reputation within the community.
- Worked closely with the facility psychologist in developing trainings and implementing the Trauma-Informed Care model within the hospital.
- Provided interdepartmental communication and teamwork coaching.
- Successfully maintained in-network status from a significant payor source in response to an RFP.
- Obtained over $4,000 in grant funding to spearhead a successful community event on “Continuity of Care for Schizophrenic Patients.”
- Founded the First Annual Cherry Blossom Ball for Pennsylvania NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
Director of Marketing
2 Years- Created a successful marketing department from the ground up for a 104-bed adult and adolescent psychiatric hospital.
- Increased marketing territory from a 25-mile radius to a statewide focus.
- Increased census to a record 100% within my first year as Marketing Director.
- Accomplished first place out of 100 hospitals on the corporate leader board for greatest increase in patient census from June 2007 to June 2008.
- Fostered strong relationships with referral sources and the mental health community.
- Developed strategic marketing plans, SWOT analyses, and action plans.
- Generated television/print advertisements, brochures, and flyers.
- Advocated for mental health parity through participation in grassroots advocacy programs and attendance at legislative socials/media events.
- Extensive involvement in community and charitable events.
- Founded and chaired the First Annual Grand Strand Forget-Me-Not Ball to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.
- Established and maintained strong relationships with local media resulting in headlines, cover pages, and television news coverage on Lighthouse events and services.
- Negotiated highly competitive reimbursement rates (and annual rate increases) with HMO/PPO payor sources.
- Implemented monthly Depression Screenings for the community.
- Credentialed Lighthouse Care Center of Conway as a provider of continuing educational credits and hosted quarterly CEU programs for mental health and healthcare professionals.
Therapist
4 Years- Managed a caseload of 12 adolescent clients with addiction or co-occurring disorders.
- Provided family, group, and individual therapy for clients and family members.
- Provided crisis intervention, peer mediation, self-esteem building, social/life skills, and teamwork.
- Facilitated parenting, psycho-educational, and recovery groups.
- Assumed Clinical Director duties when the director was on leave.
- Selected by the Executive Director to attend the Executive Board of Directors strategic planning retreat in 2005.
Education
MA - Marriage and Family Counseling
BA - Psychology
Skills
Strategic growth
Regulatory compliance
Reputation management and marketing focus
Implementation of electronic medical records
Addition of outpatient services
Increased census
Elimination of nursing agency staffing
Strong
compassionate collaborative leadership style
Proponent of trauma-informed care and patient-driven care
Strong physician recruitment and retention
Visible and accessible administrator
Implementation of patient advisory council and staff advisory council
Data-driven marketing and data-driven patient care and strategic goals
Accomplishments
- 2010 Key Accomplishments: 752% of budgeted profits, Exceeded budget by $1M
Timeline
Chief Executive Officer
Acute Behavioral Health
01.2024 - 07.2026Read More
Chief Operating Officer
Inside Marketing, Inc.
11.2017 - 01.2024Read More
Senior VP of Psychiatric Services
Meridian Behavioral Health
04.2015 - 11.2017Read More
Chief Executive Officer
UHS, Three Rivers Behavioral Health
11.2012 - 02.2015Read More
Chief Executive Officer
UHS, Arrowhead Behavioral Health
01.2010 - 11.2012Read More
CEO in Training/Chief Operating Officer
PSI, Brooke Glen Behavioral Hospital
01.2009 - 01.2010Read More
Director of Marketing
PSI, Lighthouse Care Center of Conway
01.2007 - 01.2009Read More
Therapist
Bobby Benson Center
01.2002 - 01.2006Read More
Brigham Young University-Hawaii
BA from Psychology
Read More
University of Phoenix-Hawaii
MA from Marriage and Family Counseling
Read More