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Business Briefs: Hazelden Betty Ford, Recovery Centers of America, ECU Health, Acadia Healthcare
Hazelden Betty Ford Receives Record $8 Million Donation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation announced on Monday that it has received an $8 million donation from the estate of Max E. and Joyce S. Wildman of Lake Bluff, Illinois. It is the largest single philanthropic gift the not-for-profit system of substance use disorder treatment, mental healthcare, recovery resources, and related prevention and education services has received in its history.
In a news release announcing the donation, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation said the funds will support care for individuals and families, and also advance the organization’s research, education, prevention, and advocacy efforts.
“We are grateful to Max and Joyce Wildman for their generosity and foresight in making a planned gift through their estate, one that will enable us to provide healing and hope to many more families and communities affected by substance use and mental health conditions,” Joseph Lee, MD, president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, said in a statement.
RCA Adds 2 Executives to Leadership Team
Recovery Centers of America (RCA) is expanding its leadership team with the appointment of 2 new executives. Hyong Un, MD, has been named RCA’s new medical director, and Peter Vernig, PhD, MBA, has been named vice president of mental health services.
Dr Un has previously served as chief psychiatric officer for Aetna/CVS, where he led the creation of Aetna’s behavioral health program. In his new role with RCA, Dr Un will lead the development and implementation of a companywide integrated behavioral health strategy. This includes the company’s expansion into outpatient services for patients who have mental health conditions as a primary diagnosis.
Dr Vernig, who comes to RCA having served as chief clinical officer at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia, will oversee the expansion of RCA’s mental health services, including outpatient, inpatient, and digitally based care.
RCA is now offering a new mental health outpatient treatment program at its facilities in Pennsylvania and Indiana, with additional programs across its network slated to be added later in the year. Dr Un and Dr Vernig will also oversee RCA’s inpatient programs to treat mental health disorders that are co-occurring with substance use disorders.
ECU Health, Acadia Team Up to Build North Carolina Facility
ECU Health and Acadia Healthcare have announced plans to build a 144-bed behavioral health hospital in the medical district of Greenville, North Carolina. The facility will be a center of excellence. Construction is slated to begin in 2023, and the facility is slated to open in spring 2025. ECU Health and Acadia will operate the new hospital as a joint venture and are investing approximately $65 million in the project combined.
The hospital will have 24 inpatient beds designated for children’s and adolescent mental healthcare. It will also serve as a teaching hospital, training students and residents from the Brody School of Medicine.
Once the new hospital opens, ECU Health plans to transfer 80 of its current behavioral health beds to the new facility.
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