BHG Acquires CBH, Expands National Footprint in Pursuit of Vision

DALLAS, Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Behavioral Health Group (BHG, or, the Company), the largest network of Joint Commission-accredited outpatient opioid treatment and recovery centers in the US, today announced the expansion of their national footprint with the acquisition of Center for Behavioral Health (CBH). Center for Behavioral Health is a traditional provider of outpatient substance use disorder and behavioral health services with twenty treatment centers found in eight states. BHG currently does not have a footprint in five of the states served by CBH, which provides a strategic market entry opportunity. Opioid overdose deaths are a public health crisis and now represent the number one cause of accidental death in the United States, surpassing automobile accidents in 2018. In 2021, overdose death increased 30% in the US and topped 100,000 for the first time.  Moreover, there is a large and growing number of Americans with substance use disorders. BHG is one of the few scalable platform companies purposely built to address this problem. With the joining of the two organizations, BHG now operates 116 treatment facilities and two labs in twenty-three states.

"BHG's vision is to be the premier network of outpatient substance use disorder treatment facilities focusing on a wholistic approach to deliver superior patient outcomes with long term recovery," said Jay Higham, Chief Executive Officer of BHG. The Company carries out this goal by supplying a full spectrum of Medication Assisted Recovery (MAR) in an outpatient setting using all three FDA approved medications, extensive counseling, and medical services to address co-occurring conditions. These medically proven programs show excellent results as measured by almost all objective criteria – abstinence from drug use; improvements in employment, family dynamics, and general well-being; and significant reductions in ER visits and healthcare expenditures. Furthermore, outpatient MAR treatment facilities -- delivered in either Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP) or Office Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) settings -- provide the gold standard of care at a fraction of the cost of residential treatment programs, which further emphasizes the value of BHG's clinical strategy. As Higham noted, "We're simply delivering on the most effective, lowest cost, full-service substance use recovery solution available today."

Over the last five years, the Company has grown through acquisitions and de novo sites from a minimal service, cash pay business model to a professionalized health care business, creating a national footprint. In 2021 alone, the Company added 36 locations in 13 States. Over the next five years, the Company expects to continue bringing state of the art services to underserved parts of the US by sophisticating its clinical model and continuing to scale into new markets. 

According to Ben Nordstrom, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of BHG, "Our plan is to invest in acquisitions like CBH to rapidly scale points of access and to expand our service lines across our national footprint to address broader substance use disorders for which MAR has proven beneficial. Leveraging a more sophisticated and integrated care model that employs the full spectrum of evidence-based medication, behavioral therapy and mental health services brings opportunities to serve more of a population in crisis. Our medical mission is to empower our patients to realize their best level of functionality in the community." Most importantly, noted Dr. Nordstrom, BHG's clinical care model enables recovery care teams to meet each patient where they are as a unique individual, providing dynamic, flexible treatment and ongoing care as their goals, motivations, and needs change on their personal path toward recovery.

"We knew that there was strong clinical alignment philosophically," said Brant Massman, co-owner of CBH. "CBH can expand its clinical model and service line offering to its 7k+ patient population by also adopting BHG's clinical model expansion plan, which is a build out of capabilities to provide care across the full spectrum of opioid use disorder, other outpatient substance use disorder treatment modalities, and mental health."

CBH employs more than 280 people with seventy-five percent of the workforce engaged in clinical roles supporting patient recovery.

About BHG
Behavioral Health Group (BHG) is the largest network of Joint Commission-accredited outpatient opioid treatment and recovery centers in the U.S., delivering comprehensive, personalized evidence-based medical and behavioral therapies for individuals with opioid use disorder. With 117 locations in twenty-four states, BHG has more than 1,900 employees who serve more than 42,000 patients. To learn more, visit bhgrecovery.com.

For Business Development Information:
Dwight Mussleman
[email protected]
214-365-6114

Media Contact:
Nancy Buttyan
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214-365-6146

SOURCE Behavioral Health Group