A Thank You to Jeffrey Sackenheim for a decade of service to OneQuest Health 

In the world of architecture, a foundation is often hidden from view, yet it determines the strength, height, and longevity of everything built above it. For the past 10 years, Jeffrey Sackenheim, AIA, LEED AP, has served as a primary architect for a different kind of structure: the foundation of mental health care in Kentucky and beyond. As he prepares to conclude his tenure as board president of OneQuest Health on June 30, 2026, we look back on a decade defined not just by professional expertise, but by a profound personal commitment to transforming lives. 

A decade of transformation 

When Jeffrey first joined the board ten years ago, the organization operated under a different name and a more traditional framework. Today, he leaves behind an entity that is, in his own words, “night and day” from the one he walked into. Under his leadership, OneQuest Health (formerly CHNK Behavioral Health) has navigated a period of unprecedented evolution. 

Jeffrey didn’t just witness this change; he helped engineer it, shepherding the organization through a strategic rebrand that expanded its mission from a regional haven for children to a comprehensive, integrated health system capable of meeting a modern healthcare crisis head-on for all ages. During his tenure, OneQuest doubled its clinical staff, launched a $26 million capital campaign aimed at improving every level of service, and expanded its reach into new territories like Louisville to ensure that geography never defines the quality of care a person receives. 

Building to combat stigma 

What makes Jeffrey’s leadership truly remarkable is his unrelenting focus on improving mental health treatment. This drive was a powerful combination of personal experience and a professional conviction amplified by the scale of the need he saw going forward. He coupled the bold, action-oriented mindset of a firm president with the deep empathy required to understand the human stakes of this work. 

For Jeffrey, the work has always been personal. By bravely sharing his own family’s journey with mental health services, he moved the conversation from the abstract to the authentic. He recognized that the greatest barrier to care isn’t just infrastructure—it’s stigma. Leading by example, he empowered others to seek help and framed mental health not as a “private struggle,” but as a community priority and a performance driver for all. 

This focus translated to his professional life,where he saw mental health services become a critical need for his employees and peers. The decisive visionary he is (that’s what we enjoyed so much about him), he worked with OneQuest Health to develop our first Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for SHP. This EAP program will ensure his employees have access they need, when they need it, leading to healthier, more productive work/life balance. 

The next chapter 

As board president, Jeffrey understood that “partial solutions do not produce partial consequences” in the arena of mental health. He advocated for a systemic approach that integrates physical and mental well-being, championing a model that is proactive rather than reactive. 

Though initially thought up as a solution for a workforce challenge, the vision for the SHP’s OneQuest EAP program is to prove that mental health support works on both sides of the equation. It addresses individual needs for some while acting as a performance driver for others. Our hope at OneQuest Health is that we one day get to a world where SHP’s philosophy is the norm; that we begin to treat mental health as proactive healthcare rather than reactive treatment to fix a problem. 

Jeffery has been instrumental in laying the foundation for this future, and, as he departs, he no doubt leaves an organization that’s better than the way he found it. 

A legacy that lives on

While Jeffrey is stepping down from his role as board president, his impact on OneQuest Health is permanent. He has helped build a true community of healers and established the clinical infrastructure required to deliver high-level care for the next 150 years. 

The organization is currently on track to perform 50,000 treatment services in fiscal year 2026—a scale of impact that would not have been possible without the strategic vision and steady hand Jeffrey provided over the last decade. His departure from the chair is not an end, but a transition into a new chapter as a lifelong champion for reframing mental health. 

Jeffrey, we thank you. Not just for the hours spent in boardrooms or the successful campaigns, but for the heart you poured into this mission. You have helped us build a better path forward, and the lives changed by OneQuest Health stand as a living testament to your architectural legacy of hope. We cannot wait to see what you build next at SHP and beyond. 

Sincerely, 

Everyone at OneQuest Health 

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