Dr. Veronica Kelley has been promoted to the position of director at the OC Health Care Agency, where she has been leading the county’s behavioral health services since December 2021. Her promotion comes after former director Dr. Clayton Chau left the post last June.
Dr. Kelley has over 33 years of experience in the behavioral health field and has been a licensed clinical social worker for nearly 25 years. In a statement, CEO Frank Kim expressed his excitement about her stepping into the director role and praised her leadership strength and ability to navigate the changing landscape of mental health and recovery care services.
Since rejoining the agency in 1999, Dr. Kelley has been instrumental in reorganizing the department to better address behavioral health changes, such as those related to Medi-Cal. One of her key accomplishments has been collaborating with local law enforcement to divert mental health and homeless calls from traditional responders to mental health workers.
Dr. Kelley’s promotion became effective on March 22, and this new role will allow her to continue her work in improving access to behavioral health services in Orange County.
