OhioHealth and Lifepoint Behavioral Health Announce New Joint Venture to Operate Two Behavioral Health Hospitals in Central Ohio

OhioHealth and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, an operating division of Lifepoint Health, are forming a joint venture to operate two behavioral health hospitals and outpatient locations in the greater Columbus area. Columbus Springs Dublin and Columbus Springs East, currently operated by Lifepoint Behavioral Health, will join the partnership, along with their outpatient Changes locations.

The two 72-bed hospitals will continue to provide emergency mental health services, inpatient acute psychiatry and outpatient mental health treatment. Outpatient programs include partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). Multidisciplinary care teams at each facility treat individuals suffering from a wide range of behavioral health and substance use issues.

"Healthcare continues to be complex, especially within the behavioral health space," Dallas Erdmann, MD, OhioHealth medical chief, Behavioral Health said. "OhioHealth has identified a clear need for access to more inpatient behavioral health beds in central Ohio. Partnering with a national leader, Lifepoint Behavioral Health, will help expand access leading to improved and sustained mental health treatment options."

The joint venture facilities will welcome behavioral health professionals from OhioHealth, currently serving in the behavioral health unit at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and in PHP and IOP roles at OhioHealth Outpatient Behavioral Health on Olentangy River Road. All patients currently receiving PHP and IOP services at OhioHealth locations will finish their treatment plans at OhioHealth. The Changes locations, that will operate within the partnership, will continue to provide PHP and IOP services after the close of the OhioHealth PHP and IOP programs.

Additionally, the existing inpatient behavioral health unit at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital will operate a unit of all-private rooms for the treatment of medically complex behavioral health patients.

"There is no one way to treat behavioral health challenges. It instead demands very individualized care." Kanesha Moss, chief nursing officer and vice president, patient care services, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital said. "This partnership ensures a strong continuity of care for our patients at all stages in their journey. It also allows our incredibly skilled team at Riverside to offer extremely specialized complex care on the road to improved outcomes."

As part of the joint venture, Lifepoint Behavioral Health will continue to manage day-to-day operations of Columbus Springs Dublin and Columbus Springs East and their associated units and outpatient locations.

"We are pleased to partner with OhioHealth as we deepen our commitment to providing patient-centered behavioral health services here in Columbus," said Dr. Nicki Tessler, president of Lifepoint Behavioral Health. "OhioHealth's leadership throughout Ohio and continued investment in community-based healthcare aligns with our own vision to expand access to care while creating a more integrated healthcare experience in the communities we serve, and I look forward to seeing all that we accomplish together in central Ohio."

For more information about Columbus Springs Dublin and Columbus Springs East and their associated units and outpatient locations, please visit www.ColumbusSprings.com.

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About OhioHealth 

Based in Columbus, Ohio, OhioHealth is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit, charitable, healthcare outreach of the United Methodist Church. 

Serving its communities since 1891, OhioHealth is a family of 35,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 16 hospitals, three joint-venture hospitals, 200+ ambulatory sites and other health services spanning a 50-county area. For more information, visit ohiohealth.com.

About Lifepoint Behavioral Health

Lifepoint Behavioral Health specializes in providing compassionate care across the behavioral healthcare continuum. Through its 23 behavioral health hospitals and contract management and joint venture partnerships with hospitals and providers across the country, Lifepoint Behavioral Health offers programs designed to address the unique needs of various patient populations, including adolescents, adults and geriatrics. Lifepoint Behavioral Health has diversified programming, allowing specific therapy models of treatment while encompassing the whole person. These treatment models provide evidence-based therapies with distinct short- and long-term goals of improving and sustaining mental health. Lifepoint Behavioral Health is a business unit of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Lifepoint Health.