CNE looks to affiliate with behavioral health nonprofit

CARE NEW ENGLAND and The Providence Center have entered negotiations regarding the terms of a formal affiliation. Care New England spokeswoman May Kernan said the partnership could involve a merger of the two organizations, but the exact nature of the affiliation hasn't been determined. / COURTESY THE PROVIDENCE CENTER
CARE NEW ENGLAND and The Providence Center have entered negotiations regarding the terms of a formal affiliation. Care New England spokeswoman May Kernan said the partnership could involve a merger of the two organizations, but the exact nature of the affiliation hasn't been determined. / COURTESY THE PROVIDENCE CENTER

PROVIDENCE – Care New England on Wednesday announced its intention to affiliate with community mental health nonprofit The Providence Center to improve and integrate behavioral health care delivery across communities and hospitals in Rhode Island.

The decision to seek a formal affiliation follows a year of strategic partnerships between the two organizations focused on behavioral health. One of the results of that partnership was the launch earlier this year of HealthPath, a behavioral health care initiative developed with The Providence Center subsidiary Continuum Behavioral Health and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.

Other initiatives have included the establishment of the Symmetry at Duncan Lodge substance abuse treatment facility on the Butler Hospital campus and the support of The Providence Center staff in the emergency rooms at Kent Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.

Care New England spokeswoman May Kernan said the exact nature of the formal affiliation has yet to be determined, but it could involve a merger of the two organizations. The final affiliation agreement will require approval from the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.

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“Our affiliation with The Providence Center has been successful as we take a leadership role in providing a truly integrated system across the full continuum of care, specifically in regards to behavioral health care services,” said Dennis Keefe, president and CEO of Care New England, in a release. “We are more confident than ever that combining The Providence Center’s robust outpatient services and innovative quality programs with the behavioral health expertise, services and leadership of Butler Hospital will continue to transform the future of behavioral health care for our state and region.”

The new affiliation will aim to integrate community and hospital systems to provide comprehensive treatment for patients with mental illness and substance use disorders, incorporating a broad health perspective that includes primary care, acute and specialty care, post-acute care and wellness.

Specifically, Care New England said the collaboration will allow the two organizations to:

  • Provide improved opportunities for early identification and care for those individuals in need of behavioral health care.
  • Ensure cost-efficient, effective, innovative, high-quality behavioral health care for patients in the communities they serve.
  • Expand the continuum of care and offer a diverse range of behavioral health programs and services in multiple care settings.
  • Develop, to the extent permissible, a means of participating in new forms of health care delivery and payment that will involve more coordinated and accountable care.

Kernan could not provide a timeline for when Care New England and The Providence Center might reach an affiliation agreement, and said the groups are still in the very early stages of negotiations.

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