
Henry Ford Health, a Detroit-based academic and integrated health system, and Acadia Healthcare in Franklin, Tenn., a stand-alone behavioral health care company, appointed Emily Sexton as CEO of the new Henry Ford Behavioral Health Hospital.
The facility, an inpatient behavioral health hospital in West Bloomfield Township with 192 beds, is being built through a joint venture partnership between Henry Ford and Acadia.
“I am honored to be selected for this role and thrilled to get started as we reimagine the delivery of behavioral healthcare,” says Sexton. “This is a tremendous opportunity to build and lead a team that brings the best of both organizations together to meet the growing need for quality healthcare in this space. I look forward to building on our culture of compassion and clinical excellence, following in Henry Ford Health’s legacy of unwavering care and advocacy for our patients.”
The new hospital will be a two-story facility on Henry Ford Health’s West Bloomfield campus and provide a natural extension of the services the health system already offers.
The facility, expected to open at the end of the year, should allow Henry Ford Health to deliver care, increase resources, and address the growing need for accessible behavioral health services in metro Detroit. It will also serve as a destination academic site, educating the next generation of behavioral healthcare providers including psychiatry residents, medical students, and nurses.
“Naming Emily as CEO is a crucial step in the successful opening and operation of this hospital,” says Dr. Adnan Munkarah, president of the care delivery system and chief clinical officer for Henry Ford Health. “The need for comprehensive, compassionate behavioral health care is more important than ever. As the demand for behavioral health services within our communities continues to grow, Emily and her team will help to ensure our patients are receiving the best care possible.”
Prior to this appointment, Sexton was the director of hospital operations and nurse executive for Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital. Sexton has 20 years of nursing experience with Henry Ford Health with the last 10 years focused on nursing leadership and hospital operations.
She received a master’s degree in advanced public health nursing from Wayne State University in Detroit, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from University of Detroit Mercy, and an associate degree from Lansing Community College.
Sexton’s leadership career started in infectious disease with a specialized focus on pandemic response and special pathogens. She is a graduate of Henry Ford Health’s Health Equity Scholars Program, as well as a recipient of the Henry Ford ‘Focus On People’ award and the Clara Ford Nursing Excellence Award for excellence in quality and safety. She also led her team as they received the Michigan Health and Hospital Association’s Advancing Safe Care Award for their work in providing psychiatric COVID care.