Topics:
See AllSocial Share
community
Clinica Family Health and Mental Health Partners Plan to Merge, Creating Whole-Person Health Care Organization: Clinica Family Health & Wellness
Intending to unite in September 2024, the new combined agency will provide high-quality and affordable physical, behavioral, and oral health care.
LAFAYETTE, Colo., June 10, 2024 – Clinica Family Health (Clinica) and Mental Health Partners (MHP), two long-time and nationally-recognized partners in providing high quality, affordable healthcare, have announced their intention to merge into one organization, creating an integrated healthcare model capable of better serving those in need—focusing on populations who have historically experienced the greatest barriers in access to care. The new organization, Clinica Family Health & Wellness, will offer physical, behavioral, and oral healthcare from locations across Boulder, Broomfield, Gilpin, and Adams counties.
By merging a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC), Clinica Family Health & Wellness will be better positioned to provide the most comprehensive care possible for the populations they serve.
“More than anything else, this merger is about our patients and clients,” said Simon Smith, President & CEO of Clinica. “When someone is seeking health and healing, they don’t want to navigate a difficult landscape of referrals, hunt for new providers, and explain their medical history over and over from the beginning. They want seamlessly coordinated care from providers they’ve built lifelong relationships with and better access to specialists when they need them.”
Clinica and MHP have built a strong partnership for over three decades. With overlapping missions and a strong correlation in populations served, both organizations are committed to breaking down silos in a fragmented healthcare system and improving health outcomes in the process. With this merger, Clinica and MHP seek to enhance this shared vision of whole-person care.
A whole-person model gives healthcare providers better awareness of the full picture of an individual’s physical, mental, and social needs, bringing the right care to patients in a more comprehensive, prevention-focused, and person-centered way.
“We’re building spaces where your primary care provider can work right alongside your mental healthcare and oral healthcare providers,” said Jen Leosz, Co-CEO of MHP. "By setting up an environment for strong communication among your team of providers, we can accomplish shared goals for improved health much more effectively. In our history of doing this work together, MHP and Clinica have already seen measurable, positive results reported directly by our patients and clients.”
Clinica and MHP share similar values, missions, and visions of access to high quality, affordable health care for all income levels and regardless of insurance status.
“We seek to care for our communities with cultural humility and we use our voice to speak for those who too often are neglected by the system," said Dixie Casford, Co-CEO of MHP. “Joining together enables us to advocate more effectively for health equity. As a combined entity, we aim to positively impact policies, systems, and funding structures in ways we could not do individually.”
Clinica Family Health & Wellness intends to magnify the talents and skills of the compassionate, expert staff across both organizations. The dedicated staff at both agencies complement each other in many ways. By uniting forces, they will not only be improving access to care for clients and patients, but also expanding professional development and career advancement opportunities over time, as well as becoming more competitive in recruiting—which is especially powerful as the healthcare industry continues to navigate a workforce shortage.
From a business perspective, merging makes Clinica Family Health & Wellness a stronger, more sustainable business entity with increased opportunities to realize diversification of revenue, strengthen combined assets, and position the organization towards the future evolution of the healthcare system.
Simon Smith will be President & CEO of Clinica Family Health & Wellness, with Jen Leosz assuming the new role of Chief Integrated Health Officer and Dixie Casford appointed as the new Chief Administrative Officer. The Board of Directors for Clinica Family Health & Wellness will be comprised of Clinica and MHP board members. A majority of board members will continue to be patients who receive services, working alongside a talented and dedicated group of community volunteers. This valuable representation ensures those who utilize Clinica Family Health & Wellness’ services always have oversight and influence on strategic and governance decisions.
The process of bringing two organizations together with such a diverse range of programs and services requires a considerable amount of time and diligent consideration. As the two agencies spend the coming weeks and months thoughtfully and intentionally engaging with community partners and the people they serve, more information and details will follow.
Please continue to visit MHP’s and Clinica’s websites for the most up-to-date information.
About Clinica Family Health
Clinica Family Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) known for its innovation and ability to provide high-quality, affordable health care to patients no matter their insurance status. Clinica has eight locations that provide a full spectrum of primary medical, dental, and mental health services to almost 59,000 individuals each year who live in Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, and Gilpin counties. Learn more at clinica.org.
About Mental Health Partners (MHP)
MHP is a federally designated comprehensive community mental health center serving clients across Boulder and Broomfield counties as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since opening in Boulder in 1962, MHP has expanded to multiple communities (including Lafayette, Longmont, Broomfield, and Nederland) to meet the region’s growing mental health needs. MHP was the first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Colorado, achieving this “gold standard” in the delivery of mental health and addiction recovery care in 2018. Learn more at MHPColorado.org.