Sara Mathews, Vice President of Network Operations at Catalight, has been named to the Frontline Honors Awards Class of 2025 by Behavioral Health Business.
To become a Frontline honoree, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be:
A dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes
A passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into for the good of their respective industry, the patients and residents they serve, and their families
An advocate for their industry and their fellow colleagues
Behavioral Health Business recently caught up with Mathews to discuss her time in the behavioral health industry.
BHB: What drew you to this industry?
Mathews: I always joke that I went into the family business since both my parents worked in special education and my sister is a social worker. But, in truth, I liked the idea of working in a space where I could make a true impact – where the time I spent wasn’t focused on benefitting shareholders, but rather the greater good.
Social work allowed me to determine which avenue of greater good I was most passionate about and immerse myself there. When I found Catalight, I realized an opportunity to work in an industry that is relatively young, and an organization that is pioneering new treatment approaches. It’s exciting to be part of a rapidly evolving behavioral health space where my input could result in systemic impact.
BHB: What’s a misconception you had about this work before you started – and how has reality differed?
Mathews: I think a lot of people, and I was no exception, hear “behavioral health” and immediately equate it to therapy or traditional mental health. I worked for many years in direct care, but, when I had the chance to branch into operations, I realized there was so much good I could be doing in the industry outside of the traditional roles.
A background in behavioral health lends itself to so many career paths. I am always delighted to meet a fellow clinician in a non-traditional industry. Learning how they arrived in their current role always leads to a great conversation.
BHB: Was there a moment in your career when you realized, “This work really matters”? What happened?
Mathews: It was just after starting work for a Medicaid/Medicare health plan when I realized healthcare payor operations was a whole different language. More than that, it was a language that not many providers knew.
As I was learning as much as I could, as fast as I could, about the funder world, I came to quickly understand that, if these two entities could learn each other’s languages – even just conversationally – they could better work together and ultimately achieve improved patient outcomes. Since then, I have been trying to bring my expertise in each arena to the other with the goal of breaking down barriers to benefit the patient and their families.
BHB: What’s the most valuable skill you’ve developed on the front lines that people often overlook?
Mathews: The ability to pivot quickly. There are so many facets of this business that are beyond our control, but greatly impact our work. Having the capacity to assess the situation and quickly adjust has proven to be an invaluable asset. But with that comes the need to understand the downstream impacts of a quick pivot and skill to accommodate for those impacts in the planning and decision-making process. That progression is critical.
BHB: What’s one decision leaders make that has a bigger impact on frontline workers than they might realize?
Mathews: A change in project priority. As a leader, it’s easy to move between projects – picking one up and putting another down as priorities shift and dynamics change. But for the frontline worker, that adjustment can be jarring and mean a complete upheaval to their day-to-day. It’s important to remember that even small shifts can compound as they move downhill. Taking that snowball effect into account has to be a top consideration for leaders.
BHB: What’s a simple change – policy, tool, or mindset – that would make frontline work more effective?
Mathews: A mentor once told me that as long as you are failing forward, it’s OK to fail. I have worked hard to keep that front of mind when I am sharing a new idea or trying to implement a new approach. It’s OK if it doesn’t go to plan, so long as we are learning and pushing ourselves forward in the process of trying.
BHB: What gives you optimism about the future of this industry, despite its challenges?
Mathews: There is so much advancement in technology, access to care and new approaches to treatment that I can’t help but to be excited about where the industry of behavioral health, as a whole, is headed. I know that technology has not always been widely embraced as an industry, but the efficiencies it’s creating, especially allowing clinicians to focus directly on client care, has been so impactful. I imagine that, as the technology advances and clinicians continue to feel comfortable, we will see huge gains in patient outcomes, and that is really exciting!