Janus of Santa Cruz, the county’s leading provider of substance use disorder treatment services, announced the appointment of Sister Julie Hyer, OP to the Janus Board of Directors. Sister Hyer was appointed during the Janus Board of Directors meeting on November 27, 2017.
Sister Julie Hyer, OP formerly served as CEO of Dominican Hospital for over 22 years. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Dignity Health. Dignity Health is in the process of merging with Catholic Health Initiatives creating the nation’s largest not-for-profit hospital company with combined annual revenue of around $28 billion and 142 hospitals.
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, overdose deaths, particularly from prescription drugs and heroin, have reached epidemic levels. Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths in 2016 involved prescription opioids. From 1999 to 2008, overdose death rates, sales, and substance abuse treatment admissions related to opioid pain relievers all increased substantially. By 2015, annual overdose deaths from heroin alone surpassed deaths from both car accidents and guns, with other opioid overdose deaths also on the rise.
“This crisis remains unabated. We look forward to Sister Julie’s leadership in helping us increase our community’s substance use disorder treatment services,” says Edison A. Jensen, Janus Board Chair.
Sister Hyer brings to the Janus board over forty years of experience in the non-profit healthcare field. Her dedication to helping the Santa Cruz community is underscored by her experience working at local non-profit organizations, including serving for two and half years as President of Salud Para la Gente (a federally-qualified health center). Sister Hyer previously served on the General Council of the Adrian (Michigan) Dominican Sisters as Administrator, Treasurer & Councilor. In addition, she has served on many local, state and national boards. Sister Julie’s vast experience with advocacy, fundraising, strategic planning, finance, and leadership promises to be a great asset to the Janus Board of Directors.
Sister Hyer earned her BA in Mathematics from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, her BS in Medical Records Administration from Mercy College in Detroit and a Master of Business Administration from University of Detroit-Mercy. She has been honored with a multitude of awards, including the Hospital Council of Northern California Leadership Award (1992), the Sister Ann Joachim Award for Leadership and Community Involvement (1991) and an honorary Doctoral degree from Siena Heights College (1990).
“Janus is honored and privileged to add Sister Julie to our Board of Directors. Her wealth of experience and leadership will help our community confront what can only be described as an incoming tsunami,” says Edison A. Jensen, Janus Board Chair.