Denise Jensen, LMSW

Denise Jensen, LMSW is the Chief Officer of Systems of Care and Strategies at Cornerstone Whole Healthcare Organization, Inc. in Payette, Idaho.  In this role, Ms. Jensen provides leadership and direction for the organization’s clinical projects both within the organization and across its contracts with rural and marginalized communities.  She additionally is a subject matter expert for the organization and its contracted communities on the topics of suicide prevention and intervention, substance use disorders, integrated behavioral health, critical incident stress management, and grassroots community development.  Utilizing these expertise, Ms. Jensen assists rural and marginalized communities to implement innovative solutions to increase access to health and behavioral health supports within their communities.  Ms. Jensen is a recipient of Utah’s Governors Award of Excellence for her work developing new payment models and protocols for substance use disorder treatment in the state.

Ms. Jensen earned her Master of Social Work from Walla Walla University and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration.  Ms. Jensen’s long-term research interests include: 1) understanding the cost effectiveness of implementing alternative practices such as behavioral health integration, clinical pharmacy integration and the use of peers as service extenders in rural healthcare settings, and 2) understanding the impact of these services on provider burnout, patient access to care, and overall community health outcomes.  To further these research interests Ms. Jensen intends to use quantitative methods to determine how the costs of these services impact overall healthcare costs for patients.

Anthony LeonDenise Jensen, LMSW