ST. LOUIS — Places for People, a mental health services provider, announced Friday it will expand its services in the St. Louis area with Springfield, Missouri-based Brightly, the nation’s largest provider of behavioral and addiction recovery care. announced plans to partner with one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world.
Places for People serves more than 2,800 people with mental and substance abuse disorders annually at its main campus in the Soulard area and six residential facilities throughout St. Louis. Founded in 1972, the company has 360 employees.
Brightli was formed in January 2022 as the parent company of a start-up between Springfield-based Burrell Behavioral Health and Kirksville-based Preferred Family Healthcare.
Others are also reading…
Burrell provides mental health services in 70 locations in 17 counties in central and southwest Missouri, and Preferred Family Healthcare provides mental health services in nearly 100 locations in Missouri and surrounding states, including several locations in the St. Louis area. ) offers a wide range of medical and support services.
Preferred Family Healthcare operates a walk-in sobriety support center at Dunnica Avenue that opened in 2022, offering therapy, psychiatric and addiction recovery services at its community clinic, as well as youth and people with developmental disabilities. We provide primary health care and dental care, including programs for patients. .
Under Brightly, Place for People and Preferred Family Healthcare serve more than 11,200 people annually through 29 clinics and residential locations across six counties in the St. Louis region, company officials said. Stated. It is expected to employ approximately 700 people.
Tony Hilkin, currently Place for People’s senior vice president of administration, will become chief executive officer. Current CEO Laura McAllister will become Brightly’s executive vice president of financial planning.
Hilkin said the business will improve access to customers and provide more comprehensive care.
“This partnership will allow us to deliver high-quality services to more people than ever before, while preserving and growing the legacy of Places for People,” Hilkin said. “Together, we will leverage the synergies of our organizations to have a greater impact on some of the most important issues facing our region.”
Place for People will continue as an independent organization and operate under the same board of directors as its name. The partnership is expected to close this summer, with an expected go-live date of July 1st. No jobs will be cut, Hilkin said.
“The goal of this partnership is to increase our ability to serve our customers and increase opportunities for our employees,” Hilkin said. “This means our goal is to increase the number of people we serve and the number of employees we need to accomplish that.”
Brightly is quickly joining the ranks of mental health providers in the state. In July 2023, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health became a subsidiary of her Brightli. SEMOBH has over 200 employees and serves patients in Farmington, Salem, Poplar and Her Bluff.
Brytil, along with several other smaller subsidiaries, serves more than 100,000 people and has reported total annual revenues of approximately $500 million, ranking fourth in the nation by total revenue. We are a nonprofit behavioral health organization. Places for People has annual revenue of $22.6 million in fiscal year 2022.
“Partnering with an organization with the stature and tradition of Places for People is a great opportunity for Brightli and the people of St. Louis,” said Brightli CEO CJ Davis. “By adding services to the heart of St. Louis, we feel we are creating the most accessible and high-quality network of mental health services in the Midwest, if not the nation.”
As an affiliate of Brightli, Places for People receives administrative expertise and support, as well as the ability to collaborate and share resources with other affiliates. Together, these can enhance your employee recruitment and retention efforts. This has become a major issue amid labor shortages and increasing demand for nursing care.
The American Psychological Association reports that 60% of psychologists have no openings, 40% have waiting lists of 10 or more patients, and many healthcare professionals are feeling burnt out. That’s what it means.
The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has not only increased demand for care but also reduced the stigma of seeking mental health help, according to Brightly’s 2023 Annual Report. It is said that there is.
Brightli’s goal is to prioritize providing access to immediate care through our walk-in clinics, 24/7 crisis center, and 988 crisis line. The same goes for one-on-one or group therapy sessions. These can act as a bridge until long-term specialized care becomes available, and in some cases can even avoid the need for it altogether.
“Everyone deserves access to quality behavioral health care – especially in times of crisis – and we know that strong workforce development programs alone are not enough.” says the annual report.
Labor unionization efforts underway
Place for People has not been without its challenges.
The partnership with Brightli follows efforts by Places for People employees to unionize under SEIU Healthcare, a union representing more than 90,000 health care and child care workers nationwide. It has come true.
St. Louis Public Radio reported in November that workers were asking management to allow an open unionization process free of harassment. They accused management of discouraging workers from participating in unionization efforts that began in July.
Organizers said they want to be able to negotiate equity in wages, vacation and other medical benefits.
Gregory Tumlin, a counselor with Places for People, told St. Louis Public Radio that many employees work more than 55 hours a week but are paid just 40 hours.
Mr Tumlin also criticized Place for People for not providing time off for their own mental health after treating difficult cases.
Hilkin said unionization efforts are still underway and management is working to ensure case numbers are under control.
“I respect their right to organize,” he said. “As part of this transition, we are very intentionally planning a slow and deliberate process to ensure a successful transition.”
Editor’s note: Corrects number of locations and counties served by Burrell Behavioral Health.
Healthcare workers are trained to help others, but as patients become violent and verbally abusive, they are increasingly in need of help. ”I have experienced and witnessed colleagues being subjected to verbal abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and physical violence. said McGee, who has been a registered nurse in Colorado for six years. McGee agreed to speak with Scripps News but asked that her last name not be used due to safety concerns. But I’ve been bitten, punched, grabbed, and pulled. ” said Maggie. “I’ve had people splashed with urine and semen. I’ve also witnessed people being seriously physically assaulted and molested. We’re unable to provide an incredibly high level of care. “When we find ourselves in a situation like this, it’s a reality that we understand and experience when we go to work,” Maggie said. We thought we saw a spike in attacks during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the momentum is not slowing down. At United Airlines, a 2022 survey by the National Nurses found that 48% of more than 2,000 respondents said violence against health care workers occurs at their facilities. “It’s not just nurses, it’s all health care workers,” said Colleen Casper of the Colorado Nursing Association. In Denver, Colorado Nurses Association Read More: Kaiser Permanente workers push for largest healthcare strike in U.S. history “Nurses are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other workers; It’s shocking people,” the Colorado lawmaker said. Eliza Hamrick. Hamrick proposed a bill this year that would require health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes to establish violence prevention committees and provide safety training. These facilities will also be required to provide mental health support to front-line workers. “That’s why this bill is being introduced, because these are the people who care about us, and we need to make sure their voices are heard loud and clear at the facility level,” Hamrick said. Ta. “So they feel safe going to work and feeling part of the non-violence prevention policy process at the facility.” Colorado health care facilities are required to report violent incidents to the state It is being But the new proposal would add sharper teeth to that requirement. Failure to do so could result in loss of state license, Hamrick said. “There is a lot of anecdote and evidence, but there is no federal requirement to report or track incidents,” Casper said. In order to find a solution, it is important to understand the full scope of the problem. This includes ways to stop attacks before they occur. “It’s really important that all of us at the bedside have the skills to recognize and de-escalate before it escalates,” Casper says. He said. “And we don’t want to get caught up in a power struggle. We want to be able to reduce that trigger. Workers like McGee say their future depends on it.” My physical person is how I make a living,” Maggie said. If you get injured on the job and are unable to work, it can seriously damage your family and your financial situation. ”
