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Brightli, Inc. names Indianapolis’s Tom Gaunt to Board of Directors

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Brightli, Inc., parent company of Indianapolis-based Adult & Child Health, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Gaunt to its Board of Directors. Gaunt officially joined the board in April 2024, bringing a wealth of expertise from his service to Indianapolis and surrounding communities.

A board member for A&C since 2010, Gaunt leaned on his lived experience as a foster parent and foster-child advocate to help guide the organization and was appointed board chair in 2018. He has provided Adult and Child Health with valuable insights from a foster parenting perspective and draws on his background in process management to contribute to the organization’s operations. Prior his involvement with Adult and Child Health, Gaunt had a successful career as the managing director of Geometric Solutions, a company specializing in adding value and reselling Siemens Engineering software. Gaunt studied mechanical engineering at Purdue University-Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

As a foster parent, Gaunt and his wife, Jean, adopted 11 foster children in addition to raising four children of their own. Overall the Gaunts provided care for more than 110 foster children with multiple disabilities, many of them A&C clients.

“We are delighted to welcome Tom to the Brightli board,” said C.J. Davis, President and CEO of Brightli. “Tom’s dedication to foster children of Indianapolis is true mission in action. His service to A&C has been invaluable to that organizations growth and we are grateful that he has agreed to bring his passion and energy to the board of A&C’s parent company.”

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Mental Health America recognizes Adult & Child Health will Gold Bell Seal

Adult & Child Health received the national Gold-level Bell Seal certification from Mental Health America, which recognizes policies, practices and benefits supporting employee mental health and wellbeing.  Every year since 2019, Mental Health America has recognized employers for implementing policies and practices to improve employees’ mental health. Companies across all sectors undergo a 54-point evaluation that includes surveys of employees.  Adult & Child Health employs more than 600 people in southern Indiana, with areas of focus on behavioral health, primary care and treatment for substance use addictions.  “The work our team members perform on a daily basis is challenging, but they continue to live our mission of providing access to quality care for all who need it on a daily basis,” said Dr. Christine Negendank, Adult & Child Health Regional President and Chief Medical Office. “This recognition from Mental Health America is a testament to our team members and the work they do in order to make Adult & Child a great place to work.”  Part of Adult & Child’s recognition comes from a three-pronged strategy to address employee mental health:  1) Adult & Child’s employee assistant program provides mental health services, including short-term counseling and provider referrals. The average time between an employee inquiry and their first session with a provider is five business days. The EAP program provides up to five free in-person or virtual therapy sessions.  2) The HOPE Taskforce is a safe place for non-managerial staff members to convene to discuss work stressors, life stressors, mental health resources and coping strategies in a space that encourages colleagues to support one another.  3) The GROW committee is for leaders to convene and develop support systems for one another.  Mental Health America is the nation’s leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health, well-being, and illness prevention. Its Bell Seal awards recognize an average of fewer than 300 American companies per year.

Sarah Miller, PMHNP-BC

Sarah Miller works with the addictions team, general psychiatry for adolescents and adults, and the competency restoration team. She is board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Her specialties are working in addictions and with people who experience serious mental illness.

Miller graduated from Indiana University with a psychology degree and went back to school for nursing. She received her nursing degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and worked in a nursing home and also spent time working in a group home with adolescents. She received her master’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

She enjoys hanging out with her family and her two dogs, and going to sporting events.

Joanna Chambers, MD

Dr. Joanna Chambers is a psychiatrist who began seeing Adult & Child Health patients in November 2021. She graduated from Medical College of Georgia with her Doctorate of Medicine in 1996 and completed her residency in psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to bringing a wealth of experience, she currently serves as an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine where she teaches Clinical Psychiatry. She is certified in Addiction Medicine and has a special interest in treating pregnant and postpartum women. She is President of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry Organization as well as a sitting member of many medical association boards. Recently, she has won the Residents’ Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020 from Indiana University and has received “Best Doctors Award” in 2010, 2011, and 2014. Dr. Chambers is incredibly active in the medical, academic, and research realms of medicine. She is currently accepting new patients on Wednesdays.