MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center has named Mary Sparks Thompson chief executive officer of its Clive Behavioral Health facility, effective Sept. 3. 

The new 100-bed facility, now under construction with an expected opening in July 2020, will provide much-needed additional inpatient and outpatient mental health services in Iowa. It will be located at 1450 N.W. 114th St., across from the MercyOne Clive Health Plaza and MercyOne Rehabilitation Hospital.

Thompson has more than three decades of behavioral health leadership experience. She joined MercyOne Des Moines in 2016 as the Behavioral Services market director. In that position, Thompson oversaw all behavioral health services including adult and child/adolescent inpatient units, child/adolescent outpatient program, outpatient clinics and the outpatient substance abuse program. 

As CEO of Clive Behavioral Health, she will be responsible for developing comprehensive behavioral health services, developing collaborative relationships with local government and community stakeholders and managing day-to-day operations. The facility will be jointly owned by MercyOne with Universal Health Services, a hospital management company that will oversee day-to-day operations and management. 

Prior to joining MercyOne, Thompson worked for ChildServe as director of care quality and safety. Before that, for eight years she was vice president of operations for Horizon Health Corp. In that position, she was responsible for 16 locations in multiple states and led fiscal and strategic planning for new locations.  

Thompson has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Luther College and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Iowa. She is a registered nurse and a licensed independent social worker. 

To read a Business Record Insider article about the new facility, click here.