At the start of January, Philhaven, a nonprofit behavioral healthcare organization based in Gretna, Pa., will officially become part of York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health.
The finalization of the deal comes after more than a year of planning between the two entities. Philhaven and WellSpan Health announced their intent to affiliate in October 2014 and signed a definitive agreement in May.
Under the new affiliation, Philhaven, the 14th largest mental and behavioral health provider in the nation, will combine its 55 programs and 1,100 staff with WellSpan Health to develop an integrated system of behavioral healthcare. The combined organization will continue to provide their existing programs and services.
In addition to developing a regional behavioral health system, the newly combined system will focus on the development of local education and training programs to attract future behavioral health providers to the region.
Previously, in 2014, WellSpan Health added behavioral health providers to seven of its primary care offices as part of an effort to better integrate mental and behavioral healthcare with physical healthcare. The initiative has since grown to a total of 10 primary care practices, and the most recent affiliation with Philhaven significantly expands upon this initiative.