Pinnacle pegs chief medical officer, chief clinician

Chris Dennis has been appointed the new chief medical officer of Pinnacle Treatment Centers. Carin Kottraba was also tapped as Pinnacle’s chief clinical officer, the company announced Friday.

Dennis joins the substance use disorder provider from Optum, where he served as chief behavioral officer. Pinnacle credited Dennis with leading initiatives to integrate advanced treatment methods and strengthen community partnerships while at Optum.

Kottraba previously was vice president of mental health innovations at Wellpath. Pinnacle cited her for “designing and managing large-scale treatment programs that address complex behavioral health and substance use disorder issues.”

Private equity company Linden Capital has owned Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based Pinnacle since 2016. Michael Lawler was named CEO of Pinnacle last October, with a mandate to expand the company’s services. Pinnacle reports operating over 140 treatment facilities in nine states.

Trautman replaces Johnson as Inspire Horizons CEO

Inspire Horizons, a Phoenix-based company that bills itself as providing “multidisciplinary therapy for children with developmental disabilities under one roof” has named Sarah Trautman its new CEO.

In a LinkedIn post two weeks ago, Trautman wrote, “Oh, hey…I’m the new CEO of Inspire Horizons. This was not on my bingo card for 2024, but I am excited to lead our amazing multidisciplinary group [of clinical professionals].”

Trautman described herself as an experienced CEO, board member, leadership coach and public speaker. Per LinkedIn, the CEO’s recent roles include board member for Apollo Behavior, an autism treatment center based in Suwanee, Georgia.

Hereford Johnson III, a managing partner at the private equity firm People First Capital, previously was CEO. A message left with Inspire Horizons Thursday regarding Johnson’s current role with the company was not immediately returned.

Meadows taps new CFO

Jamie Phillips is the new chief financial officer of Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, the Phoenix-based trauma, addiction and mental health treatment company announced Thursday.

Phillips was last at PHI Health, an air ambulance provider, where she worked as CFO for two years. She was part of an executive team that improved the publicly traded companies’ operating income from 15% to 26% in one year.

Before PHI Health, Phillips was senior vice-president of finance at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Phillips’ hire comes at a pivotal time for the 48-year-old care center, the announcement said, as Meadows Behavioral Healthcare “continues to expand its services and reach to meet the growing demand for mental health and addiction treatment.”

Brave Health plucks chief medical officer from Bend Health, which names its own new CMO

Amit Parikh posted on LinkedIn last week that he joined Brave Health as chief medical officer. It is a move over from the same position at Bend Health, which he held for two years.

“I’ll be focusing on expanding access to mental health care for underserved populations, particularly those covered by Medicaid,” Parikh wrote.

Miami-based Brave Health confirmed the move. The company is an online mental health therapy and medication management provider, whose business model incorporates accepting Medicare and Medicaid.

Parikh replaces Aleksandr Zverinskiy, who served as chief medical officer since 2019. Zverinskiy will transition to a new role focused on direct patient care, while continuing to support and mentor clinicians, a company spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, at Madison-based Bend Health, which focuses on virtual mental health care for children and families, co-founder and president Monika Roots will also take on the CMO position, the company told Behavioral Health Business Thursday.

BrightPath Behavior names ex-PE official as VP of strategy and growth

BrightPath Behavior, the company formerly known as ABA Connect, has named Sebastian Zuluaga vice-president of strategy and growth, according to an announcement Zuluaga made himself over LinkedIn in July.

Zuluaga comes over to BrightPath Behavior from MBF Healthcare Partners, where he served as business development officer. Miami-based MBF purchased what was then ABA Connect in 2022.

ABA Connect rebranded last month to BrightPath following a series of mergers. Jessie Smedley, the company’s CEO, told Behavioral Health Business that BrightPath will continue to seek growth through acquisitions.

A message left with BrightPath confirming Zuluaga’s new position was not returned as of Friday.

PursueCare names medical directors and CFO

Online addiction and mental health treatment company PursueCare named last month three medical directors, who are tasked with “building a comprehensive virtual clinic,” according to a company release. The hires come nine months after PursueCare said it raised $20 million in a Series B fundraising round.

Joining the Middletown, Connecticut-based company are Jason Kirby, Seth Thompson and Henry Luu.

Kirby is president of the Tennessee Society of Addiction Medicine. He previously worked as the chief medical officer for Landmark Recovery in Franklin, Tennessee.

Luu steps up from his post as assistant medical director for PursueCare. His background includes work as a Navy physician, where he was deployed twice to Afghanistan. Thompson was before a psychiatrist at Conscientia Health.

Nick Mercadante, PursueCare’s CEO, stated that the medical directors will help the next phase of a company dually focused on “rapid access to addiction care” and “offering integrated whole treatment services.”

PursueCare also tapped Bradley Wilson as its new chief financial officer. Wilson previously helmed the CFO post at FlexCare Infusion Centers. The company release cited Wilson’s “leadership experience with fast-growing venture-backed practices.”

Guardian Recovery names chief medical officer

Addiction and mental health treatment provider Guardian Recovery announced Wednesday the appointment of Tamer Wassef as the company’s chief medical officer.

Wassef, who began the move to his new role this week, according to the announcement, previously was Guardian Recovery’s chief medical director, per his LinkedIn profile.

The psychiatrist has more than 15 years of experience addressing mental health and addiction, and has additionally specialized in the treatment of eating disorders.

Josh Scott, the founder and CEO of Guardian Recovery, said in a statement that Wassef’s promotion positions the company for “further expansion, which will not only extend our footprint but also enhance our capabilities and deepen our ongoing commitment to quality care.”

Scott founded Guardian Recovery in 2013, setting up a clinic in Delray Beach, Florida. The seaside town 50 miles north of Miami remains the company’s headquarters. Wassef, meanwhile, resides in Holmdel, New Jersey.