Pipeline: New SUD Treatment Clinics from BayMark, Spero Health; Voyages Behavioral Health Developing New Facility

BayMark opens new Ohio clinic

Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider BayMark Health Services has opened a new clinic in Marietta, Ohio, which offers medication-assisted treatments (MATs) for individuals suffering from opioid addiction.

MedMark Treatment Centers Marietta is located in the southeastern corner of the state in Washington County — across the Ohio River from West Virginia — and offers MAT medications including methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone, in addition to counseling and supportive recovery services. The facility also provides patients with addiction education, relapse prevention, lab testing, coordinated care for pregnant patients and linkages to community resources.

“The COVID-19 pandemic had the devastating side effect of making the opioid epidemic substantially worse across the country, especially in Ohio,” BayMark CEO David White said in a press release regarding the new clinic. “That combined with the growing presence of fentanyl is increasing opioid overdose fatalities.”

Headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, BayMark operates over 300 treatment facilities in 34 states and three Canadian provinces. MedMark Marietta marks the eighth program BayMark has created in Ohio for opioid use disorder (OUD) since 2019.

BayMark is owned by Webster Equity Partners.

Spero Health expands its footprint

Spero Health is opening the doors to its latest SUD treatment center with a new location in Cincinnati.

The new clinic is located west of downtown in the Cotillion Village neighborhood and will offer a combination of in-person and telehealth visits. The clinic, which begins seeing patients on October 4, will accept Medicaid and most commercial insurances.

The company said they are confident the new clinic will play a significant role in ongoing efforts to combat SUD in Hamilton County, Ohio. Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a countywide drop in opioid-related deaths, with an increase of over 50% of county residents seeking treatment.

“While most other communities experienced a surge in overdose related deaths during that time, Hamilton County worked with community partners to mitigate the damage we saw happen in other areas,” Spero Health CEO Steve Priest said in a press release about the new clinic. “People really struggled with forced social isolation, loss of support and access to care, and this community worked extremely hard to keep lines of care open. Our goal is to join these efforts as another resource on the front line to continue to turn the tide of an out of control drug epidemic and bring hope and restoration to the lives of people struggling with addiction.”

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Spero Health operates close to 60 outpatient clinics throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia and Tennessee.

Spero Health is a privately held company of the Heritage Group, Health Velocity Capital, South Central, Inc. and Frist Cressey Ventures.

Voyages Behavioral Health, Medistar developing new Florida facility

Voyages Behavioral Health is partnering with the Medistar Corporation, a real estate development company, for a new hospital in Pensacola, Florida.

Voyages Behavioral Health of Pensacola, which is scheduled to open later this year in the Florida Panhandle city, will integrate inpatient medical and psychiatric care. Both Voyages and Medistar made the announcement September 22.

The hospital will have a staff of 200, with plans to serve hundreds of patients with tailored services for adults, older adults, and specialty programs for trauma and military service members, according to a press release announcing the new facility.

Some of the main care components of Voyages Behavioral Health of Pensacola will include diagnostic behavioral health evaluations, medication evaluations, solution-focused treatment, behavioral strategies, as well as partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient programming (IOP).

Voyages Behavioral Health is an affiliate of Enola, Pennsylvania-based Post Acute Medical (PAM) Health. PAM Health operates over 50 long-term acute care and medical rehabilitation hospitals, as well as 18 outpatient therapy locations, in 13 states.

“We have come to recognize the importance of an integrated care model for individuals in need of medical and behavioral health services who, until now, could not be effectively treated in one setting,” Kristen Smith, PAM Health’s EVP and president of clinical innovation and business Intelligence, said in the press release about the new facility. “With this unique model of care, Voyages Behavioral Health of Pensacola will address these patients’ comprehensive needs at once, helping them achieve sustainable, long-term health and wellness, while ultimately reducing the cost of care.”