Talkiatry Fills Senior VP Role; New Appointments Tapped for Discovery, Promises Affiliates

Talkiatry adds senior vice president of operations

Virtual behavioral health provider Talkiatry has named Vanessa Cao as its senior vice president of operations.

Cao joins Talkiatry from New York-based wellness startup HealthQuarters, where she was the company’s head of operations. She has also previously held managerial roles with New York-based health system NYU Langone Health and consulting firm Deloitte.

In her new senior vice president position with Talktiary, Cao will be charged with duties related to operations and patient care as the company looks to roll out services nationwide.

“Our clinical staff continues to grow rapidly, a testament to our focus on high-quality and responsible in-network psychiatry,” Robert Krayn, the co-founder and CEO of Talkiatry, said in a press release. “Ensuring that our staff continues to get the highest level of support in the industry is paramount. Vanessa’s expertise and leadership in healthcare operations will further support our operational leadership and Talkiatry’s focus on providing high quality mental health care and we’re excited for her to join our team.”

Founded last year, New York-based Talkiatry provides psychiatric care by telehealth as well as in-person. The company employs more than 30 psychiatrists and has provided over 35,000 visits since its inception. Among the payers in-network with Talkiatry are UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, Humana and BlueCross BlueShield.

Talkiatry netted $20 million in a July Series A funding round that included lead participation from Silkwoo Capital Partners and Left Lane Capital.

Discovery Behavioral Health selects new ED for affiliate program

Multi-state provider Discovery Behavioral Health (DBH) has appointed Anthony Triola to be the executive director of its New Hope Treatment Ranch in Manor, Texas.

Triola has been serving as executive director of operations for New Hope, which is located in the Austin area. In his new role, Triola will supervise all aspects of New Hope that are focused on prevention, assessment, treatment and reintegration for individuals struggling with substance use disorder (SUD).

Along with his experience with DBH, Triola was an intelligence analyst for 25 years with the Army, where he was twice deployed to Iraq.

Triola will report to DBH Division President Joe Tinervan in his new role

“Because of our collective experience with the military, my staff and I speak the same language as the military professionals who come to our facility for treatment,” Triola said in a press release. “Virtually all of our clients — whether or not they have a military background – suffer from some form of trauma, so I make a point of meeting personally with each one as they begin the process of recovery here at New Hope Ranch.”

Headquartered in Los Alamitos, California, DBH operates over 130 facilities across 13 states that treat conditions related to behavioral health, SUD and eating disorders.

DBH is a portfolio company of Webster Equity Partners.

Promises Behavioral Health affiliate names new clinical operations director

The Ranch Pennsylvania, a mental health and addiction treatment affiliate of Promises Behavioral Health, has named Sonya Doherty as its director of clinical operations.

Doherty, who had been a clinical supervisor of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based ARS Treatment Centers, has also previously been a primary therapist and clinical supervisor, among various professional roles.

“I want to be a positive influence for everyone here at The Ranch,” Doherty said in a press release. “I will try to be the mirror that helps clients, their families and our staff to reflect on their experiences and how they can use that as a tool towards discovering their passion, motivation and ultimately, hope.”

The Ranch Pennsylvania is located west of Philadelphia in the York County town of Wrightsville. The residential rehabilitation facility is one of a number of locations that Promises operates across Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Texas.

Earlier this month, Brentwood, Tennessee-based Promises announced that it had restructured its debt load in order to kickstart plans for expansion.

AAC-owned hospital picks new CEO

American Addiction Centers (AAC)-owned AdCare — which operates facilities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island — has appointed Roman Buivydas as the new CEO of its AdCare Hospital location in Worcester, Massachusetts.

A licensed mental health counselor, Buivydas joined the hospital six months ago, where he has been serving as vice president of clinical services. Before arriving at AdCare, Buivydas was the president of development and compliance for Philadelphia-based provider SpotLyte Behavioral Health.

Overall, his professional experience in behavioral health spans working in program development as well as risk and data management, according to the Worcester Business Journal.

AAC purchased AdCare in 2018.

Greenwich Hospital taps head of psychiatry and behavioral health

Greenwich Hospital — a Greenwich, Connecticut-based regional health care provider — has appointed Amir Garakani as its chair of psychiatry and behavioral health.

A physician for Yale Medicine — the medical school of Yale University — Garakani is board-certified in psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and addiction medicine. Garakani is taking over the chair position as Greenwich Hospital looks to expand its mental health services throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York, according to GreenwichFreePress.com.

Garakani is also currently an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, according to his LinkedIn page.

Greenwich Hospital is affiliated with Yale’s medical school, which he joined last year.

“Dr. Garakani’s leadership, experience and vision will enhance our ability to make a significant impact on the patients we care for, and propel our short- and long-term plans for behavioral health at Greenwich Hospital,” Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly told GreenwichFreePress.com.