Brightli, Centerstone merger finalized

Springfield-based Brightli Inc. has completed its merger with Nashville, Tennessee-based Centerstone.

The agreement became effective Nov. 1 for undisclosed terms, according to a news release. Centerstone is the surviving name of the combined organization, which has subsidiaries including Burrell Behavioral Health, Preferred Family Healthcare and Firefly.

“These are two very well-known, well-respected organizations in our space,” Centerstone CEO David Guth Jr. said in the release. “We still feel that we’ve been under-scaled for the opportunities that sit in front of behavioral health today.”

Guth is scheduled to retire in 2027, at which time Brightli CEO C.J. Davis will become head of the combined organization. Davis is currently serving as CEO-elect of Centerstone.

The combined Centerstone employs more than 10,000 and serves roughly 250,000 patients annually at 360 outpatient, inpatient and residential locations in nine states. Officials involved with the deal say that makes it the largest U.S. nonprofit provider of mental health and substance use disorder care.

“What makes this merger historic isn’t just the scale; it’s the opportunity to reach more people, invest in innovation and ensure no one faces behavioral health challenges alone,” Davis said in the release. “Together, we are building a future where access, quality and compassion define behavioral health care in this country.”

The 2885 W. Battlefield Road administrative campus of Brightli has been converted to Centerstone branding. The facility is now serving as Centerstone's western administrative campus.

Additionally, officials said in the release that Brightli subsidiaries Burrell Behavioral Health, Preferred Family Healthcare, Places for People, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health, Adult & Child Health, Clarity Healthcare and Comprehensive Mental Health Systems will transition to the Centerstone name over the next 14 months. Disruptions to patient care are not expected.

The merger was first announced in July as a nonbinding agreement in the due-diligence phase, and the planned change to the Centerstone name was unveiled in September, according to past reporting.