‘A compassion for the most marginalized among us’: Frontier Behavioral Health CEO dies at 62

Jeff Thomas, the Frontier Behavioral Health CEO and a key architect of integrated mental healthcare in Spokane died Friday from respiratory complications. He was 62.

“He was one of the most committed and dedicated advocates of behavioral healthcare that I have ever known,” said Carla Savalli, executive communications director at Frontier.

Thomas was CEO at the mental healthcare provider for 11 years. His roots ran deep at Frontier, prior to his role as CEO, he became associate director when Family Service Spokane and Spokane Mental Health merged to become Frontier in 2011. He worked as executive director of Family Service Spokane for 15 years until the merger.

Savalli said Thomas was a tireless proponent for a statewide standard of integrated mental healthcare, a practice that considers both the physical and mental wellbeing of a person. At Frontier, he built relationships with other healthcare providers to advance the mission of serving clients, mind and body.

“Jeff saw the future,” Savalli said. “He did a lot to position Frontier so that we could be at the table, so we would have a stake in whole-person care.”

Thomas’ enduring empathy made him an effective leader well loved by Frontier staff, and a steadfast servant to his clients, a legacy that will continue at Frontier.

“He absolutely believed in the mission of community behavioral health and the population we serve, the marginalized, the individuals with serious mental illness, many of whom have multiple challenges, not just mental illness, but homelessness or substance abuse issues,” Savalli said. “Jeff was devoted to providing them care.”

Frontier will continue regular operations.

The board of directors, who will hire or promote the next CEO, will meet on Aug. 30 to discuss actions moving forward. In the interim, a group of six executives in a leadership team will share responsibility for daily operations.