Finding someone who supports their mission will be the hardest task for administrators at Genesee Health System after the departure of Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey De Lay.<br />De Lay announced on Tuesday, April 1, that he will be resigning from the $140 million health care organization on April 25.<br /><br />The network of service providers that caters to Genesee County residents with severe mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems has a mission of supporting recovery, prevention, health, and wellness of the body, the mind and the community.<br /><br />"We're not just pushing numbers around here. Our No. 1 goal has to be to make decisions with the consumers in mind," said Chief Executive Officer Danis Russell.<br /><br />De Lay was responsible for managing a network of providers that served 14,000 consumers in 2013. One of De Lay's biggest accomplishments was being a part of changing the funding for its residential and outpatient services programs in 2007.<br /><br />He will be taking a a position as chief operating officer at Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority. After 12½ years with Genesee Health System, formerly known as Genesee County Community Mental Health Services, De Lay said he is looking forward to the opportunity to have a positive impact in Wayne County and be a part of the largest public mental health system in the country.<br /><br />"He brought a level of refinement and accountability to our whole fiscal services, created a number of new programs and was very good at efficiently using the tax dollars that we get. It's a loss for our system and the community, but he has a good opportunity to take those skills to a system that needs them and he will be missed. He was a great part of our team and through his actions, we had a lot more money to use for our services for our consumers," said Russell.<br /><br />"It's been a fantastic experience working with the staff at Genesee Health System. We have made a lot of accomplishments as a team to increase the number of consumers that we serve over the last 10 years, to greatly improve our financial position as an organization and just to be part of a really great team that really cares about the people of Genesee County," said De Lay.<br /><br />Russell said Genesee Health System will conduct a search to fill the position.<br /><br />"Hopefully, we get somebody who has experience with mental health and financing in Michigan, because it's not always straightforward. His replacement must have a sound finance background and experience, and a commitment to the mission that we have. They have to believe that the skills that they have can be used to help our consumers," said Russell.<br /><br />When asked what he would say to his future replacement, De Lay said, "I would tell them that they're coming into a great team that knows what they're doing and really cares about the work that they do."