Annie A. John Named Vice President Of Behavior Health Services At START Treatment & Recovery Centers

Annie A. John, LCSW-R, has been named Vice President of Behavior Health Services at START Treatment & Recovery Centers from Harlem to Hollis.

The non-profit is New York’s largest independent drug treatment agency, and has treated more than 50,000 New Yorkers since it was founded in more than a half-century ago.

“In addition to more than three decades of experience in behavioral health, primarily with children and adolescents, Annie John brings a stellar work ethic, dedication, collaborative spirit and expertise that is uniquely suited to this position,” says Lawrence S. Brown, Jr., MD, MPH, FACP, DFASAM, START’s CEO. “She is an asset to this agency, and we look forward to the many contributions she will make in her new role as the scope of her responsibilities evolve.”

In her new position, Ms. John will be responsible for START’s behavioral and mental health programs, and the delivery of patient care. As a member of START’s leadership team, she will also work to create a culture that aligns with START’s mission, vision and values, and supports teamwork and employee engagement.

Ms. John assumed the role of Deputy Director of Adolescent Programs in 2019 & over the past 15 months was also assigned oversight of the MATP clinics.

As the deputy director of START’s adolescent programs, she was responsible for directing, supervising, and evaluating clinic directors and managers of three adolescent programs: Teen START; Adolescent Mental Health in Detention; and Behavioral Health in Schools (100 School project).

Before that, she spent four years as START’s director of Adolescent Mental Health, overseeing the coordination, development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive mental health services for adolescents at two secure and 14 non secure detention facilities.

She began her tenure at START in 2014 as Director of the Adolescent Mental Health program, providing mental health services to adolescents in secure and non-secure detention facilities in NYC.

She was also instrumental in developing the request for proposals which resulted in the 100 schools project, and in the application to New York State Office of Mental Health which resulted in the establishment of Teen START.

Prior to joining START, Ms. John served as vice president of mental health services and clinical operations for Children of Promise in Brooklyn, NY, and held several positions with the Child Center of New York, including administrator and project director for its Jamaica Clinic.

Ms. John has also held a variety of positions in the Child & Adolescent Clinic, on-site and for school-based programs at the Bedford Stuyvesant Community Mental health Center.

Ms. John received a master’s degree in medical and psychiatric social work from the TATA Institute of Social Sciences in Bombay, India, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Sofia College at Bombay University. She is certified in trauma-focused CBT and evidence-based CBT protocol for the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders, and is a member of the American Association of Indian Social Workers.

START Treatment and Recovery Centers

START has treated over 50,000 New Yorkers throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan since it was founded in 1969. Its goal is to provide the highest quality of compassionate, comprehensive, evidence-based healthcare and social services; education of the public concerning the maintenance of healthy lifestyles; and cutting-edge behavioral, biomedical and healthcare services research.

Its community-based treatment programs for adults and adolescents use individual and group counseling with medical and behavioral health professionals to treat patients; some of its clinics offer short-term, outpatient detoxification and a drug-free chemical dependency program for other non-opiate addictions.

Its outpatient services and programs for people seeking quality treatment for drug addiction and rehabilitation include comprehensive medical care and specialized HIV services; behavioral health and vocational services; and medical case management.

For more information, visit www.startny.org