Private equity-backed substance use disorder provider Pinnacle Treatment Centers has named Michael Lawler its next CEO.

The provider says Lawler will be key to helping the organization expand its services. Lawler has worked in health care for more than three decades. Most recently, he served as the CEO of CHE Behavioral Health Services, a private equity-backed hybrid mental health care company. He also spent more than a decade at medical supply distributor TwinMed, serving as senior vice president of operations and then chief operating officer.

The company’s former CEO, Joe Pritchard, plans to stay on at Pinnacle in an advisory role.

“Michael’s ability to drive complex care in very creative ways while ensuring the professional staff are fully developed and supported within safe and professional environments is a cornerstone to his success,” Pritchard said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have him on board as our new CEO and look forward to the positive impact he will have on our organization and the patients we serve.”

​​Mt. Laurel, New Jersey-based Pinnacle Treatment Centers offers services to care for alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, co-occurring conditions, and other substance use disorders. Its programs include detox, residential care, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment and peer recovery services.

Pinnacle has 140 locations across California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

It also has a comprehensive partnership strategy with governments and insurers and accepts Medicaid and other insurance plans.

“I’m very proud to join Pinnacle,” Lawler said in a statement. “I plan on continuing the great work and tradition that Joe has established, that Pinnacle has established. We have a voice, we have a presence and I want to build on that as leaders and experts in the addiction treatment field. Our goal remains the same, to continue to bring more care to people and communities who need it.”

Over the last few years, the provider has been actively growing through M&A and de novo expansion. In April, it purchased four outpatient opioid addiction treatment centers from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based Recovery Centers of America.

Linden Capital acquired the controlling stake in the company in 2016. In 2022, reports circulated that Linden Capital Partners was looking to sell Pinnacle. But nothing has been reported on a Pinnacle sale since.