Pipeline: Spero Health’s New Treatment Clinics; Voyages Expands Regional Presence

Spero Health opens doors to two new locations

Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider Spero Health has expanded its footprint with two new locations in Ohio and Virginia.

Spero’s Ohio clinic is located in Akron, in the eastern part of the city, and offers in-person and telehealth services. The clinic accepts most commercial insurances as well as Ohio Medicaid.

“We want to bring hope and restoration to the lives of people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction by giving them a place to turn,” Spero Health CEO Steve Priest said in a press release. “In Akron, we will bring immediate relief to families, friends and neighbors by offering quick access to high quality care.”

In Virginia, Spero is now open for business in Dublin, which is located not far from the college town of Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.

The new clinic accepts a number of commercial insurances along with Virginia Medicaid.

“In Dublin, we want to be a solution to families, friends and neighbors who are struggling with addiction and give them a place to turn by offering immediate access to care that is both affordable and close to home,” Priest said in a separate press release.

Spero Health operates over 65 outpatient clinics across Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, offering a variety of treatment services such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT), behavioral health counseling and recovery support services.

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

Ideal Option expands treatment services with new clinics

Addiction treatment provider Ideal Option is welcoming patients to two recently opened clinics in Idaho.

The clinics, which are located in Kellogg and Sandpoint, provide MAT for SUDs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine and alcohol. Both clinics are located in the Panhandle Health District (PHD), which provides over 40 different public health programs to families, individuals and organizations in northern Idaho.

The two clinics accept most forms of insurance as well as Medicare and Medicaid.

“Getting people the help they need in treatment and recovery is a top priority in our response to the increase of substance use in our community,” PHD Program Manager Kelsey Orlando said in a press release. “Partnering with Ideal Option to have treatment services available in two of the counties we serve is exciting to meet the needs of our region.”

Headquartered in Kennewick, Washington, Ideal Option operates over 70 outpatient MAT clinics across 10 states.

Ideal Option is financially backed by BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners and Varsity Healthcare Partners.

Voyages Behavioral Health to open new hospital

Voyages Behavioral Health will be expanding its presence in Texas as it is developing a new hospital in the town of Clear Lake.

Voyages Behavioral Health of Clear Lake will focus on providing specialty psychiatric care. The Houston-area hospital’s services could include those offered to adults and older adults, as well as specialty programs for trauma and military service members, according to the company.

The hospital would be Voyages’ second in Texas. A planned date for the facility’s opening was not provided.

Voyages Behavioral Health is an affiliate of Enola, Pennsylvania-based Post Acute Medical (PAM) Health, which provides inpatient and outpatient health care services in 17 states.

“With this unique model of care, Voyages Behavioral Health of Clear Lake will address these patients’ comprehensive needs at once, helping them achieve sustainable, long-term health and wellness, while ultimately reducing the cost of care,” Kristen Smith, PAM Health’s executive vice president and president of clinical innovation and business intelligence, said in a press release.

McLaren Health Care to build new inpatient behavioral unit

Grand Blanc, Michigan-based McLaren Health Care Corporation has announced that it is building an inpatient behavioral health unit and partial hospitalization program in the state.

The Justin A. Borra Behavioral Health Center, which is slated to open late next year, will be constructed at the Cheboygan campus of McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital.

The 11,000-square-foot center, which will be a renovation of a former medical/surgical unit on the campus, will house 16 beds and offer a continuum of care.

McLaren cited a shortage of inpatient behavioral health beds in the region as to why the Borra Behavioral Health Center is being constructed.

“With so few beds in Northern Michigan, patients who need inpatient behavioral health services are often being sent to hospitals several hundred miles away,” Todd Burch, the president and CEO of McLaren Northern Michigan, said in a press release. “This new facility will help address the growing unmet need for high-quality behavioral health services right here in our community.”

McLaren Health Care operates 15 hospitals across Michigan and Ohio, along with providing such services as insurance plan coverage.

AMFM Healthcare expands presence

A Mission for Michael (AMFM) Healthcare, a San Juan Capistrano, California-based behavioral health services provider, is expanding to Washington state with new centers.

The centers will provide outpatient and residential services, and are due to open in spring 2022 in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood and in the nearby town of Poulsbo.

AMFM Healthcare this year began offering telehealth services to Washington state residents.

“We have been so honored to be able to provide mental health treatment to people throughout the West Coast given the need for options in the Pacific Northwest,” Ted Guastello, the chief strategy officer for AMFM Healthcare, said in a press release regarding the new centers. “We believe the further expansion with our premier program in Washington will work towards improving mental health care for those who need it the most in areas that have fewer options.”

AMFM Healthcare’s new centers in Washington state will be led by Angeelena May in the position of executive director.

A licensed mental health counselor in Washington state, May has previously been a clinical director for Newport Academy and a behavioral care manager for the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

“The AMFM Healthcare facility in Washington comes at a crucial time for people across the state suffering from lingering effects from the pandemic,” May said in the press release. “We are looking forward to providing individualized, compassionate care in a beautiful private setting for long-lasting success and recovery.”

AMFM Healthcare also operates programs throughout Southern California and recently announced its expansion into Virginia.

Earlier this year, AMFM Healthcare received a follow-on investment from private equity firm HCAP Partners.