Burrell Behavioral Health, Comprehensive Mental Health Services sign Letter of Intent to explore merger
The merger would allow Comprehensive to serve thousands of additional clients in the underserved Kansas City metropolitan market.
The Boards of Directors for Springfield-based Burrell Behavioral Health and Independence, Mo.-based Comprehensive Mental Health Services have signed a Letter of Intent to explore a merger between the two companies.
The organizations are currently in a period of due diligence, expected to last between 30 and 90 days, at the end of which the corporate structure and details of any resulting partnership will be announced.
Collectively, Burrell and Comprehensive, both state-designated Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs), employ more than 2,000 people in Missouri, serving clients and patients across the behavioral healthcare continuum including mental health, addictions recovery and prevention, behavioral crisis support, and developmental support services.
The merger would allow Comprehensive – the state-designated Community Mental Health Center for eastern Jackson County with additional substance-use recovery programs in central Kansas City – to serve thousands of additional clients in the underserved Kansas City metropolitan market.
“Joining forces with an organization with the size and experience of Burrell will allow us to reach the next level in terms of scope of services, workforce development, and the ability to provide timely care, wherever and whenever people need it,” said Comprehensive Mental Health Services CEO Julie Pratt. “I am excited for what this could mean for Jackson County residents who so desperately need access to behavioral health care.”
Established in in 1977, Burrell is Missouri’s second-largest CMHC, serving 25 counties in southwest and central Missouri and northwest Arkansas, employing more than 1,800 workers.
“A partnership between Burrell and Comprehensive will not only provide more resources to the clients we serve, but attract and retain top-level behavioral health providers – the social workers, counselors, techs, therapists, psychiatrists and more – who are the lifeblood of our mission,” said Burrell Behavioral Health President & CEO Dr. C.J. Davis. “Together we can serve more people and save more lives.”
Contact: Matt Lemmon; Vice President, Communications, Burrell Behavioral Health; matthew.lemmon@burrellcenter.com
About Comprehensive Mental Health Services:
Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS), based in Independence, Mo., is a non-profit community mental health center that has been providing caring services for over 50 years. CMHS is the behavioral health provider for all of Eastern Jackson County and provides residential and outpatient substance use services to the urban core of Kansas City.
CMHS believes that every member of their community deserves to be treated with dignity and compassion. Behavioral health issues and recovery from substance use should not be barriers to living a happy, healthy, fulfilling life. CMHS exists to support the members of our community in reaching their wellness goals.
Learn more about CMHS, where they are located, and the services they provide by visiting www.thecmhs.com.
About Burrell Behavioral Health:
Burrell Behavioral Health is the second largest behavioral health center in Missouri, working with more than 40,000 clients across 25 counties in Missouri and Arkansas. Burrell has more than 400 licensed providers offering a full continuum of care through our integrated network. Services include individual therapy and counseling, addiction recovery, psychiatric and medication management, educational and therapeutic groups, crisis intervention, medication-assisted treatment, adult stabilization, case management, residential treatment, autism, diagnostic testing and evaluations and developmental disability support. Learn more about Burrell’s programs and services at www.burrellcenter.com.