County Names Chief of Behavioral Health

Ventura County officials announced the appointment Tuesday of Stephen G. Kaplan as director of behavioral health, a newly created post that will oversee drug and alcohol programs as well as the county’s Mental Health Services department.

Kaplan, 46, was selected for the job by Pierre Durand, director of the county’s Health Care Agency.

“Steve is very hard-working, and he is committed to caring for people,” Durand said. “These are some of the qualities that will help him succeed in the new position.”

Kaplan, who has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan, has served as director of alcohol and drug programs for the last seven years. He has also served as a director of mental health coordination for juvenile justice and children’s services for seven years.

Kaplan’s newly created position is part of an ongoing reorganization of the county Health Care Agency, Durand said. Randall Feltman, who now supervises mental health programs, is expected to be appointed to a new post in the weeks ahead. The changes are intended to reduce costs and improve efficiency by combining administrative and financial services of various departments, he said.

As part of those changes, Durand also announced Tuesday the appointment of Pat Neuman as insurance administrator for the Health Care Agency. Neuman has worked for the past 15 years as an assistant administrator for the county hospital.