Meet the Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital Team

At Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, we believe in creating a strong team that provides support and encouragement to the entire hospital and by extension, our community. We understand that true leadership takes whole-hearted dedication and a commitment to the greater good of all. In the words of John C Maxwell, " A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way". 

Benjamin Andersen

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Benjamin Andersen provides financial and strategic leadership for Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital and manages all financial aspects of the 90-bed facility. He manages the full spectrum of the revenue cycle. Benjamin’s areas of expertise include revenue cycle and organizational leadership, budgeting and cost management, new business development, contract negotiations, physician relations, project management, team building and performance improvement. Benjamin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from California State University-Bakersfield, with a concentration in finance. He has a master’s degree in healthcare administration from California State University-Bakersfield. He enjoys spending time with family, running, and supporting his kids in their athletic pursuits.

 

Teena Bensusen

Director, Business Development

Teena Bensusen is the Director of Business Development at Bakersfield Behavioral, where she has worked for the past 6 years. Experienced in sales & marketing, event planning, community engagement, public speaking and developing and maintaining professional relationships, she is a skilled relationship builder and problem solver. A native of Bakersfield and a proud graduate of South High School, Bakersfield College, and soon to be a graduate of California State University at Bakersfield, Teena is deeply committed to the community and has a passion for helping people and businesses thrive. In her spare time, Teena enjoys reading, going to the movies, taking trips with her husband of 26 years, and spending time with her two children.

 

Denzel Sumlin, LCSW

Director, Clinical Services

Denzel Sumlin is the Director of Clinical Services at Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. He oversees the daily operations of social services, including directing therapists, coordinating patient services, and ensuring program requirements are met. Denzel has played a key role in assisting therapists in obtaining licensure and achieving accreditation from The Joint Commission. He values integrity, accountability, honesty, perseverance, and appropriate confrontation in his work. Outside of his career, Denzel is a married father of five daughters and enjoys watching movies, spending time with family, exercising, and traveling. He has fulfilled his dream of visiting the pyramids in Cairo and has also traveled to Hawaii, Paris, New York, and Pisa. Despite his fear of heights, Denzel has even tried skydiving and bungee jumping, although he doesn't plan to do them again.

 

Dr. Beasley

Director of Competency Restoration, Facility Psychologist

Dr. Beasley graduated from Argosy University with her Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and received her dual Doctorate Degree from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in clinical and forensic psychology. She is a licensed psychologist in both California and Alaska, and she specializes in psychological evaluations, namely within forensics. She has conducted hundreds of competency-to-stand trial evaluations and has a passion for discerning the nuances of psychology within judicial proceedings. She is recognized as an expert in the field of forensic psychology by the courts. She is also passionate about diagnostics, as well as sharing her knowledge and teaching future practitioners about psychology and mental health.

 

Ashley Frias

Risk Management & Patient Advocate

Ashley began her career with Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital in 2021 in the Quality Department as the coordinator. Since her tenure with the organization, she has transitioned into the role of Quality and Risk Manager. As the Quality and Risk Manager, her role is significant in ensuring the priority of patient safety, advocacy, and education of patients, employees, and the community. She is committed to focusing on the quality of care being delivered to all patients through the hospital’s core values; compassion, acceptance, respect, empowerment, and sincerity. As the Quality and Risk Manager, she is dedicated to promoting mental health awareness within the Kern County community; to inspire and empower others to bring awareness of this unique specialty. As the patient advocate for the organization, her role is significant in empathizing with patients and their concerns, by delivering high-quality care and support to all patients, employees, and the community as a whole. Ashley’s goal is to promote a culture where understanding and empathy are the primary focus in delivering patient-centered care. Outside of work, Ashley enjoys the outdoors and spending quality time with her family, as well as continuing to further her education in criminal justice at Bakersfield College.

 

Samantha Ortiz

Director, Quality & Risk Department

As a Bakersfield native, Samantha graduated from Bakersfield College with her ADN in 2016 and transitioned to California State University Bakersfield in 2017, to obtain her BSN and Public Health Nurse certificate. In 2020, Samantha continued to further her education at Grand Canyon University, where she obtained her Master of Nursing, with an emphasis on Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Systems. Samantha is honored to have become a member of the Nursing Honors Society, American Heart Association, and American Association for Critical Care Nursing, and within the community, being MICN (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) certified. Samantha's nursing experience is embodied in Cardiac Care Intensive Care Units, Telemetry, Medical Surgical, and Emergency Departments. Samantha's leadership experience entails Patient Care Unit Manager, Director of Clinical Inpatient Services, and Interim Chief Nurse Executive. Samantha had the opportunity to lead 350 FTEs and managed a variety of departments including Telemetry, Medical Surgical, Critical Care Unit, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Dialysis, with direct oversight of the Emergency Department, Quality/Risk, Outpatient Services, Operating Room, and Cath Lab. In Samantha's journey at Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, she started with her role as the Chief Nursing Officer and has been given the extraordinary opportunity to transition into the Director of Quality and Risk Management role. As part of her servant leadership, she takes pride in ensuring we provide excellent, compassionate, safe, and competent patient-centered care, to be the premier care center of choice for psychiatry and detox, to meet the needs and demands of our community. As a leader of the organization, it is with utmost significance that we advocate for our patients, peers, and community, as we create a culture to inspire and raise awareness of mental health. With interdisciplinary leadership and collaboration, we are able to provide professional excellence, vision, mission, and values of mental health and wellness. Above all else, Samantha is committed to delivering exceptional high-quality healthcare with integrity, respect, sincere kindness, evidence-based practice, fiscal responsibility, teamwork, & empowerment. With dedication and admiration, her purpose-driven life is servant leadership: to serve our patients, peers, and community and be committed to the well-being of others.

Dr. Pam Bookout

Director, Pharmacy

Dr. Bookout received her High School Diploma from Woodlake Union High School, Associate of Science Degree from College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California, and Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the Thomas J Long School of Pharmacy at the University of Pacific in Stockton, California. Dr. Bookout has been a registered pharmacist for over 30 years with experience in retail, clinic, and 340B pharmacies. The last 11 years have been spent as Director of Pharmacy for a non-profit organization and Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital.

 

Bryan Blair

Director, Human Resources

As a People + Process Guru, Bryan works strategically and whole-heartedly in the direction of truth and love for our mission and purpose. Building relationships with the people who make this organization great is the key to being able to align objectives and key results with the Human + Organizational Behaviors necessary to achieve success. Bryan is committed and dedicated to that process at Bakersfield Behavioral Health. With nearly two decades of experience leading People Operations, Bryan has acquired Master Certifications in HR + Employment Law, Organizational Development + Design, Human + Organizational Behavior, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging and many other areas of HR from Payroll to Benefits Administration. Bryan has a passion for helping in ways that drive continuous improvement not just in the organization itself, but in the people who make our workplace community an amazing place to be. He likes solving problems and fostering change in the way organizations behave, identifying strategic pathways for people to bring their entire authentic selves to the workplace while contributing their craft to the overall objective. He works with a “PEOPLE-FIRST” approach to fully understand the impact decisions from the top have on everyone in the workplace and ensures the lines of communication throughout the organization are flowing consistently, openly, and honestly. Bryan finds joy in nearly every aspect of “business-in-motion” and has an entrepreneurial spirit of his own with his own businesses. He serves in a volunteer capacity as the HR Committee Chair on the Board of Directors for a world-renowned LGBTQIA+ not-for-profit organization, and volunteers his HR Expertise to the National Pet Cancer Foundation. In his spare time, Bryan enjoys singing, making music, cooking, photography, art, and spending time with his family, friends, and tiny little 4lb Yorkie named “Lucca”.

 

Mellisa Foute-Huddleson

Director, Utilization Review

Mellisa started working at BBHH in 2013 as a utilization review specialist and became the director of the Utilization Review Department in 2019. Mellisa has been working in the healthcare field for 22 years she started as a Certified nursing assistant and cross-trained as a unit secretary for 13 years. She received her nursing license in 2011 and continued to work on a Med-Surg floor until 2013. Mellisa started working in behavioral health in 2013 and has found behavioral health to be a very rewarding field. Working in the behavioral health field allows Mellisa to be supportive, compassionate, and inspiring to those of all ages and backgrounds. Mellisa is a widow and has two adult sons, one adult daughter, and seven grandchildren who are her pride and joy. A healthy mind and healthy body are a motto that Mellisa lives by and she lives this by spending time with her family having barbeques, movie nights, and especially karaoke. Mellisa also really enjoys taking vacations to Arizona where she enjoys visiting her son and his family.

Carl West-Moore (Trin)

Director, Plant Operations

Trin West-Moore has been with BBHH for about a year and a half now and has the privilege of overseeing the Plant Operations, EVS, Dietary, and Security Departments here at the hospital. Trin is a Bakersfield native who returned back to Kern County after his military career in 2008. The thing that I love most about working here at BBHH is my ability to give back to our community in a small way. Trin has been happily married for 12 years now to his beautiful wife, Paula, and together, they love to take spur-of-the-moment trips and spend time with their sons and their cats!

  

James Beatty

Dietary Manager

James joins the Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital team as the hospital’s manager for its Dietary Department. James came to the hospital as a cook and quickly made his transition to leading the department. Since starting to oversee this department, there has been a line that circles around the cafeteria in order to taste the amazing meals. James and his teams’ careful attention to detail enables all patients and staff to enjoy healthy and delicious entrees.