The merger of Daytona Beach front-centered SMA Healthcare with The Centers in Ocala will not interrupt providers the Ocala wellbeing treatment firm gives in Citrus County.
That was the assurance SMA main running officer Rhonda Harvey gave to the Chronicle Thursday just after SMA introduced its merger previously this thirty day period.
Each SMA and The Centers gives psychological overall health and addiction rehabilitation products and services The Centers in Marion County and SMA in Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns, and Putnam counties.
Right until about two years back The Centers presented public mental health and dependancy expert services in Citrus County, but dropped that contract to LifeStream Behavioral Center primarily based in Leesburg.
Despite the changeover, The Centers ongoing to provide some courtroom company for drug court and domestic violence psychological well being counseling.
Harvey claimed the merger will not impact the court docket services and its consumers who obtain counseling as section of their court intervention.
“Our goal is to continue companies,” she claimed, introducing that she does not foresee a improve.
SMA could expand its companies for court-appointed psychological wellness products and services if the want arises, but SMA will not seem to present community psychological health and fitness and dependancy services in Citrus County now that LifeStream now has that agreement, Harvey stated.
The Facilities until many months back also nevertheless operated psychological wellbeing providers at its Lecanto facility but closed that, an official at The Centers instructed the Chronicle.
Harvey explained that the workers at The Facilities in Ocala would remain in put. Some Citrus County residents keep on to get expert services at The Centers.
“This is a continuation of products and services (following the SMA merger), a continuation of the similar staff members,” Harvey stated.
Giving mental overall health providers is a complicated organization, Harvey reported, so a merger was a pure move.
The merger provides “economies of scale” and efficiencies not obtainable to more compact operations, she said.
The merger became efficient July 1. In a letter to local community stakeholders saying the merger, Harvey stated the two psychological wellness care providers had been discussing a potential merger for approximately a 12 months.