Behavioral health care provider Brightli officially completed its merger with Nashville, Tennessee-based Centerstone today.
The combined organization will serve about 250,000 people annually, and Centerstone will be the largest nonprofit provider of mental health and substance use disorder care across the U.S.
David Guth, Jr., CEO of Centerstone, says that the completion stage helps Centerstone team members put aside the “maybe” aspects of the merger and move forward with a mission to make behavioral health care more accessible and powerful than it has ever been.
“These are two very well-known, well-respected organizations in our space,” Guth said. “We still feel that we’ve been under-scaled for the opportunities that sit in front of behavioral health today.”
Former Brightli CEO Dr. C.J. Davis is the CEO-elect of Centerstone, meaning that he will become CEO of Centerstone after Guth’s planned retirement in 2027.
“What makes this merger historic isn’t just the scale; it’s the opportunity to reach more people, invest in innovation and ensure no one faces behavioral health challenges alone,” Davis said. “Together, we are building a future where access, quality and compassion define behavioral health care in this country.”
Davis stresses there will be no disruption to patient care resulting from the merger. Over the next 14 months, Brightli subsidiaries Burrell Behavioral Health, Preferred Family Healthcare, Places for People, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health, Adult & Child Health, Clarity Healthcare and Comprehensive Mental Health Systems will rebrand and start doing business under the Centerstone name.
“The service, that personal touch that local administration over local care will remain unchanged,” Davis said. “Providing care that’s convenient has to be the central focus of our partnership. Our clients need convenience; they need seamless, coordinated care. Addressing the access challenges will be important.”
Centerstone has more than 360 outpatient, inpatient and residential locations across nine states, and has clinical staff serving the mental health needs of students in more than 1,500 K-12 schools across the nation.
They also maintain a network of more than 2,000 clinical providers to meet the needs of U.S. veterans and military families.
Executives from Centerstone and Brightli also raised a Centerstone flag on one of the flagpoles at the former Brightli Administrative Campus on West Battlefield Road earlier today, confirming the completed merger agreement.
Photo courtesy of Director of Media Relations at Burrell Behavioral Health.