Matt Feehery joined Foundations Recovery Network in July 2018, bringing his vast experience to UHS’ Addiction Treatment Services business. In his role as CEO of Foundations Recovery Network, he drives the strategies, growth, performance and oversight of FRN’s six residential treatment facilities and 13 outpatient programs across the country.
Feehery has worked in the addiction treatment field since 1979, most recently as CEO of the Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center (PaRC) and senior vice president of Behavioral Health Services. During his 16-year tenure, he led and managed the 144-bed residential drug and alcohol treatment center, nine regional outpatient centers, a mobile psychiatric assessment team of psychiatrists and licensed clinicians serving 13 acute care system hospitals and three mental health crisis clinics as well as a psychiatric case management program. Other key roles include executive director, CEO and consultant for numerous alcohol and drug treatment organizations and psychiatric hospitals throughout the country, including one of the nation’s first alcohol and drug treatment centers, New Hampshire’s Beech Hill Hospital.
“Becoming a counselor was an interest that developed into a calling,” Feehery says. A Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) and board-certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC), he earned his MBA in healthcare management from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, and his bachelor’s degree in human resource management from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Feehery is a regional vice president with NAADAC (the Association for Addiction Professionals) and recently served as president of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals (TAAP) and chairman of the Behavioral Health Services Council for the Texas Hospital Association (THA).
Inducted into the TAAP Hall of Fame in 2013 for his service and commitment to the addiction counseling profession, Feehery also received the prestigious George R. Farris Management Excellence Award from Memorial Hermann Health System in 2012. Additional honors include the Behavioral Healthcare Champion Award in 2011, the NAADAC Organizational Achievement Award in 2010, the TAAP Addiction Professional of the Year Award in 2005, the TAAP Counselor of the Year Award in 1995 and the Fr. Charles Wyatt-Brown Distinguished Service Award in 1981.
Accolades are nice, but Feehery is drawn to the field of addiction treatment by the transformations he’s been privileged to witness. “Everyone working in behavioral healthcare, from the business office to direct patient care to housekeeping, has a role helping people build their foundation in recovery,” he says. “Being able to witness recovery — whether directly or from afar — is very fulfilling. I like seeing people get better and experience the gifts of recovery, moving from very difficult times to hope and healing.”
A Houston native, Feehery is an avid cyclist and classic car buff. He and his wife, Kim, have two grown daughters and a rescued boxer named Dexter.