Benzinga | Mar 30, 2021 10:01AM EDT

Acadia Healthcare Forms Joint Venture With Geisinger To Build 2 State-of-the-Art Behavioral Health Facilities In Northeastern And Central Pennsylvania

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHC) today announced that it has formed a joint venture with Geisinger Health, one of Pennsylvania's premier, integrated healthcare systems. The new partnership will build two new facilities -- each with 96-beds -- serving the central and northeastern regions of the state. The new freestanding behavioral health facilities will provide comprehensive inpatient services to adult, older adult, adolescent and pediatric patients. The first facility is expected to open in 2022 and the second in 2023.

Geisinger, which serves more than 1 million people across 45 counties in Pennsylvania, has partnered with Acadia Healthcare, the nation's largest stand-alone behavioral healthcare company, based on a shared commitment to quality care, strong clinical outcomes, and a successful track record of collaborating with numerous premier health systems.

"Acadia is excited to work with Geisinger to bring enhanced treatment options to many communities and broaden the scope of services offered to patients and their families. This is a wonderful opportunity for our two organizations to bring together our expertise and resources to address an identified need for behavioral health services in these regions," Debbie Osteen, Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Healthcare. "Geisinger is a world-class health system, and this partnership marks the 12th that we have in place to expand our leading treatment network through strategic joint ventures across the country."

"At Geisinger, we are setting out to make better health easier for the communities we serve," said Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, Geisinger's President and Chief Executive Officer. "This joint venture was a natural fit based on a shared commitment to identifying behavioral health needs in the community. We are excited to partner with Acadia to bring world-class care close to home for everyone who needs it in central and northeastern Pennsylvania."

Upon completion, the two new inpatient behavioral health facilities will address current and future demand for adult, older adult, pediatric and adolescent patients who struggle with acute symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This vast array of acute behavioral health services is desperately needed in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, especially for children and adolescents.