About
Our
History
Volunteer Behavioral Health
Volunteer Behavioral Health Care System is a leading nonprofit community behavioral health provider, offering a continuum of services to individuals across 58 counties in middle Tennessee, southeast Tennessee, and the Upper Cumberland region. Our Mission is to serve individuals, families, and communities through prevention, treatment, and recovery services, ensuring that help today leads to a better tomorrow. Through 21 outpatient centers and Telehealth, VBH paves the way for more than two million Tennesseans to access mental health and substance use treatment and recovery services in a 12,555 square mile area. With more than 50 years of experience, our organization utilizes a No Wrong Door approach with Same Day Access to provide quality care and flexible service delivery.
Our
Misson
Our mission is to serve individuals, families and communities through prevention, treatment and recovery services, ensuring that help today leads to a better tomorrow.
Our
Vision
Leading the behavioral health field with innovations in prevention, treatment, and recovery for individuals and families which promote the wellbeing of our communities.
Our
Values
We believe that behavioral health is essential to each person’s overall well being.
We believe in honoring the dignity, values, and culture of the individuals we serve.
We believe that recovery is possible.
We believe in integrated services to meet the needs of individuals with mental illness, addiction, and co-occurring disorders.
We believe that mental illness, addiction, and co-occurring disorders are preventable, and early detection is important.
We believe our employees must be well-trained, enthusiastic, competent, and loyal to succeed.
We believe in innovative approaches to evidence-based treatment and recovery.
We believe in the responsibility of our organization to provide cost-effective care.
Meet Our CEO
Phyllis Persinger
Phyllis Persinger brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role as President and CEO of Volunteer Behavioral Health (VBH). With a career spanning over three decades at VBH, Phyllis has played a pivotal role in advancing the organization's operations and making significant contributions to the field of community mental health in Tennessee.
As Chief Executive Officer/President/Chief Operating Officer of VBH, Phyllis provides strategic oversight to a comprehensive network of services across 50+ counties and 21 locations in Middle, Upper Cumberland, and Southeast Tennessee. Under her leadership, a multidisciplinary team delivers high-quality care and support to individuals of all ages, including children, youth, adults, and families.
Phyllis has been instrumental in enhancing the efficacy and quality of services at VBH, including care management, outpatient counseling, psychiatric services, substance use treatment, crisis services, housing initiatives, school-based programs, veteran support, peer support centers, and criminal justice programs. Her expertise in negotiation, team development, budgeting, and fiscal management has helped optimize the organization's clinical pathways and foster its growth and visibility.
Notably, Phyllis successfully spearheaded the centralization of access and customer service systems, streamlined billing processes, and implemented a performance-based payment system. She played a key role in transitioning VBH to a unified electronic health record, enabling seamless and efficient care delivery. Phyllis has also led critical initiatives such as the development of "No Wrong Door" and Same Day Access services, as well as the swift adoption of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring continuous care for clients.
Phyllis has been actively involved in the mental health community through initiatives with partners as well. She has served as the past President of the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations (TAMHO) and as chair of the Fiscal and Administrative and Information Technology (IT) sections of TAMHO. Phyllis was also a member of the IT committee for Mental Health Corporation of America and the Steering Committee for Qualifacts, Inc.
Phyllis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Distributive Education/Business Administration from James Madison University.
Under Phyllis' visionary leadership, exemplified by her guiding principle of "One Team, One Dream," VBH has positively impacted countless individuals and families, providing them with essential support and care. Her commitment to collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement has left a lasting imprint on mental health care in Tennessee, aligning with VBH's mission to advance the well-being of communities across the region.