LOS ANGELES, (FEB. 15, 2022) Health care startup Lightfully Behavioral Health has acquired Resilience Treatment Center for Mental Health in West Los Angeles, securing two of 13 mental health treatment centers it plans to open in California in the upcoming year. Backed by private equity company Regal Healthcare Capital Partners in New York City, the Westlake, California-based company seeks to increase access to primary mental health care services by offering a new clinical care model that will yield measurable outcomes. The organization plans to hire approximately 195 California based employees by the end of 2022.
Lightfully’s acquisition of Resilience Treatment Center will include a six-bed residential treatment center and a 35-bed partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient program. Lightfully Behavioral Health will continue operations and be accepting patients immediately.
In addition to the Resilience Treatment Center purchase, Lightfully has secured three other residential treatment locations in Southern California, including those in Brentwood, Thousand Oaks, and Carlsbad. Three additional residential treatment facilities are in escrow, along with two commercial properties that will house partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs.
Lightfully was founded by health care veteran executive Jennifer Steiner and four other female industry experts with more than 70 years of combined experience launching and scaling mental health businesses. Steiner was formerly chief executive officer of a Thousand Oaks-based national company that provided care for patients with eating disorders.
“The concept of Lightfully was borne from a personal experience,” said Steiner. “I was helping family friends find access to mental health service for their daughter, and I was shocked that I could not find an option that took their insurance and had immediate availability,” she said. “Most of the mental health care services were focused on chemical dependency or eating disorders, not primary mental health conditions. In addition, outpatient therapists are struggling to meet the needs of the growing numbers of patients in need during the COVID pandemic. We are in a mental health crisis in America, and I wanted to create a company to improve access to care and change the paradigm of mental health care delivery in our country.”
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Steiner and her team of proven executives whose passion for clinically excellent mental health treatment, commitment to measurable outcomes, and proven ability to grow companies will position Lightfully Behavioral Health as a national leader in the mental health industry,” said David Kim, MD, MBA, Cofounder and General Partner at Regal Healthcare Capital Partners. “Lightfully is a great addition to our portfolio, both clinically and strategically, and we expect great things from this partnership.”
The Los Angeles area facilities and future California sites will each use a unique, integrated process-based therapy model to help individuals whose depression, anxiety, personality disorder, PTSD and other trauma-related disorders are impeding their daily life. Southern California is a region that currently lacks options, as mental health options here are more focused on addiction and eating disorders and not the more common mid-acuity primary mental health issues like anxiety, mood disorders, personality disorders, depression, and trauma.
“We use an integrated, process-based therapy model of evidence-based treatment focused on the underlying core processes that are common across mental health disorders,” adds Steiner. “Our clinicians receive robust training and supervision to deliver compassionate, collaborative, and feedback-informed care to meet the specific needs of each client.”
Lightfully will provide a variety of treatment options to offer ample access to the right kind of mental health care for the individual’s mental wellness — spanning residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and virtual levels of care. Lightfully believes accountability is critical and will focus on measurable indicators of outcomes to ensure that every client continually benefits from the treatment and care they receive. The company has in-network relationships with several key patient health insurance companies across the state of California to ensure access to care for individuals in need.
With the increased national demand for mental health treatment, the industry is suffering from a lack of qualified therapists. Lightfully will address the supply shortage by offering a dynamic and inspiring work culture and industry-leading benefits packages for its clinicians and delivering a robust and comprehensive clinical training curriculum for its clinical teams.
“Our intention is to be a magnet for highly sought-after clinicians by offering a truly unique culture and generous benefits package, including a flexible 4-day work week. This is unheard of in the current market, and we are committed to growing exceptionally trained clinicians with our extensive Equip training model,” says Steiner.
In addition to expansion projects in California, Lightfully Behavioral Health plans to move into additional states, for a total of 30 sites, as well as a virtual care offering over the next five years. In California, the company will open centers in Carlsbad, Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks, and Northern California, among others.
“We want to improve the public perception of mental health care, where the importance and validity of mental health issues are equally considered and respected as physical health issues,” says Steiner. “I envision a time when no there’s no stigma or judgment on mental health and when mental health care models are a fundamental integrated part of the healthcare ecosystem.”
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About Lightfully Behavioral Health
Lightfully Behavioral Health is a leader in primary mental health treatment providing high-quality, evidenced-based programming with a full continuum of services to meet the needs of commercially insured clients. Our mission is to change lives, compassionately. We treat clients with a primary diagnosis of a mental health disorder in the following diagnostic categories: Mood disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Trauma-Related Disorders, and Personality Disorders. Lightfully is one of the first and only behavioral health organizations built around Process Based Therapy, which is a clearly defined framework that delivers more personalized and holistic care. Our seasoned, all-female executive team brings over 70 years of experience and a proven track record of success in the mental health market. For more information, visit lightfully.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Regal
Regal Healthcare Capital Partners (“Regal”) is a New York-based private equity group focused exclusively on lower-middle market healthcare services companies. Regal seeks to partner with healthcare entrepreneurs across the United States, with a focus on providing high-quality, accessible, and convenient care to all patients. Regal targets equity investments of $20 to $70 million in each opportunity, with target investments ranging in size from $20 to $100 million of revenue.
For more information, contact Amy Katz, Vice President, Marketing Amy.Katz@lightfully.com