Transactions: Monte Nido Expands Portfolio With Walden Deal; Caravel, Advanced Recovery Systems Secure Credit Facilities

Monte Nido purchases treatment provider

Eating disorder treatment provider Monte Nido & Affiliates has announced that it has purchased Waltham, Massachusetts-based Walden Behavioral Care. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2003, Walden provides eating disorder treatment and psychiatric care for children, teens and adults at facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Georgia. Walden offers inpatient and residential accommodations as well as intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization programming (PHP).

With this acquisition, Walden becomes the fifth brand under the umbrella of Monte Nido & Affiliates, joining Monte Nido, Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders, Clementine Programs and Oliver-Plyatt Centers.

Founded in 1996, Miami-based Monte Nido & Affiliates operates 31 programs across 12 states. It is owned by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners.

Ethema becomes majority owner in SUD treatment clinic

Ethema Health Corporation, a West Palm Beach, Florida-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider, has announced a majority interest purchase in Evernia Health Center that closed effective July 1.

Evernia operates the Addiction Recovery Institute of America (ARIA) Treatment Center, a multi-million dollar, 174-bed inpatient patient facility in West Palm Beach. ARIA provides SUD treatment along with rehab programs like detox, IOP and PHP.

The center is projected to generate $1.8 million in the second half of 2021, according to a press release announcing the deal.

Ethema is an over the counter (OTC) stock traded under the symbol GRST.

CentralReach buys youth assessment software provider

CentralReach, which develops software and technology products for applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers, has acquired Behavior Analysts, an autism and behavioral solutions company.

Financial details of the transaction were not made available.

Headquartered in Pleasant Hill, California, Behavior Analysts is the producer of ABA software programs ABLLS-R (ABLLS) and WebABLLS. Both programs are based on the assessment of basic language and learning skills (ABLLS) method, which along with ABA is used to assess cognitive and functional skills of children with behavioral conditions like autism.

ABLLS was created, in part, by Behavior Analysts founder James Partington, who initially published the software program in 1998. As part of the deal, Partington will move over to CentralReach and be responsible for duties such as leading new product developments for autism assessments.

Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CentralReach is financially backed by the private equity firm Insight Venture Partners.

New purchase to deepen ABA provider’s footprint

In a combination of East Coast-based care providers, Autism Care Partners (ACP) has purchased Autism Bridges.

Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

Founded in 1992, the New York City-based ACP operates 11 centers in the Northeast, providing in-person and home-based services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Among the services ACP provides are ABA — widely considered to be the gold standard of autism care — along with other assistance like speech and occupational therapy.

Founded in 2015, Bedford, New Hampshire-based Autism Bridges is a private clinic that also provides ABA services. In addition to two centers in New Hampshire, Autism Bridges has two other locations — one in Massachusetts and one in Vermont.

The newly combined company will be led by ACP CEO Jim Spink.

Caravel Autism Health scores line of credit

Caravel Autism Health — which operates over 40 locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, Iowa and Idaho — has been extended a senior credit facility to help with its near and long term business goals.

The Green Bay, Wisconsin-based ABA provider has received the facility courtesy of private equity firm Monroe Capital, which acted as the sole lead arranger of the deal.

Caravel — which provides both center-based and in-home services — will use the facility for refinancing as well as to support its future growth, according to a press release announcing the transaction. The amount of funding extended to Caravel through the facility was not announced.

Caravel is owned by the private equity and venture capital firm Frazier Healthcare Partners.

Advanced Recovery Systems receives lending assistance

Orlando, Florida-based Advanced Recovery Systems (ARS) has secured a $75 million credit facility from White Oak Healthcare Finance. White Oak acted as the sole lender in the transaction.

ARS provides inpatient and outpatient treatment of SUD, eating disorders and other associated mental health issues. Founded in 2013, ARS operates 11 facilities across Florida, Colorado and Maryland.

ARS is a portfolio company of Goldman Sachs Asset Management.