Coordinated Care Creates Scholarship to Honor Jeff Thomas

Jeff Thomas, an EWU alumnus who served as chief executive officer of Frontier Behavioral Health, dedicated his life to helping others. Now, an endowed scholarship created in Thomas’ memory will continue his remarkable legacy for years to come.

Coordinated Care, Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH) and Eastern Washington University jointly announced the establishment of the Jeff Thomas Behavioral Health Scholarship, on Aug. 13. In addition, Frontier Behavioral Health is renaming the East Sprague outpatient building the Jeff Thomas Center.

Thomas served as CEO of FBH from 2012 until his passing in 2023. During his tenure, FBH grew to become the region’s lead provider of comprehensive behavioral healthcare.

The scholarship celebrates the passions and values that defined Thomas’ life, while supporting aspiring social work or psychology students at EWU in their pursuit of undergraduate or graduate degrees.

Thomas, who earned his Master of Social Work from EWU back in 1985, was known for his passion for social services and mental health. His loyalty and support for staff, and his aspirations to provide hope, made a lasting impact on Spokane and the behavioral health community.

“We are honored to establish the Jeff Thomas Behavioral Health Scholarship and Endowment,” said Coordinated Care President and CEO, Beth Johnson. “This initiative commemorates the extraordinary work of Jeff while demonstrating our commitment to solving healthcare workforce shortages and supporting the talents of those pursing higher education to serve Washington communities.”

“Jeff dedicated his entire career to improving behavioral health in Washington. With a never-ending commitment to ensure services were available to anyone in need, Jeff knew that quality care wasn’t possible without a talented workforce. This inspired Jeff to be a fierce advocate for addressing workforce challenges in our field,” said Frontier Behavioral Health CEO, Kelli Miller.

Through this scholarship, Coordinated Care seeks to continue Jeff’s legacy by empowering future generations of EWU students who demonstrate similar dedication, tenacity, and commitment to behavioral health services.

“Jeff dedicated his entire career to improving behavioral health in Washington. With a never-ending commitment to ensure services were available to anyone in need, Jeff knew that quality care wasn’t possible without a talented workforce. This inspired Jeff to be a fierce advocate for addressing workforce challenges in our field,” said Frontier Behavioral Health CEO, Kelli Miller. “Jeff was enthusiastic about partnering with local universities to enhance student learning and finding ways to remove barriers in access to higher education for those wanting to work in behavioral healthcare. This scholarship is a direct reflection of Jeff, his life’s work, and the inspiration he was to all of us”

This endowment created by Coordinated Care aims to improve access to higher education for underrepresented populations in behavioral health-related fields. Recipients must be students majoring in behavioral health programs, such as the School of Social Work or Psychology.

“The Jeff Thomas Behavioral Health Scholarship will have a significant impact for students pursuing degrees related to behavioral health. This scholarship makes a degree in fields like social work, psychology, counseling, or addiction studies more attainable for students,” said Amanda Reedy, associate dean of the College of Professional Programs, who has served as professor, chair and director of EWU’s School of Social Work.

“As a result, graduates are more prepared to enter the workforce and can spend more years working in this high need field. We are grateful that Coordinated Care has chosen to honor Jeff Thomas in this way.”

To learn more about the fund, or provide a gift in support, please visit the Jeff Thomas Behavioral Scholarship page.