In a strategic and forward-looking move, Oceans Healthcare, headquartered in Plano, Texas, has successfully acquired Haven Behavioral Healthcare, significantly expanding its reach with the addition of seven new locations across five states. This acquisition marks a significant milestone in Oceans Healthcare’s ongoing mission to improve access to behavioral health services for underserved populations. With this acquisition, Oceans extends its footprint into Arizona, Idaho, Ohio, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania, adding to its existing network of facilities nationwide.
Stuart Archer, the CEO of Oceans Healthcare, expressed the company’s enthusiasm and vision for the future of the acquisition: “Oceans has consistently sought opportunities that would expand our ability to provide access to care for at-risk populations in underserved communities. Haven has had a similar mission, and we are honored to welcome them to our Oceans family.” This acquisition is not just about expanding Oceans Healthcare’s operations—it’s about deepening its commitment to helping individuals in need of vital mental health care, particularly in regions where such services are in short supply. This acquisition is a major step forward in the broader mental health care expansion that Oceans Healthcare is driving nationwide.
Oceans Healthcare’s Growing Impact
Oceans Healthcare is no stranger to expansion. With the addition of the seven new facilities from Haven, Oceans now operates 48 facilities across nine states. The provider is known for its comprehensive range of behavioral health services, including both inpatient and outpatient mental health care, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), partial hospitalization programs (PHP), specialized programs for military personnel, and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Oceans’ breadth of services ensures that it can meet the diverse needs of individuals struggling with a range of behavioral health challenges.
The company’s expansion strategy has been heavily supported by Webster Equity Partners, a private equity firm that has also invested in other leading healthcare services like Baymark Health Services and Discovery Behavioral Health. As part of this acquisition, Oceans is poised to further enhance its care delivery by leveraging Webster’s resources and backing, ensuring that more people will have access to the life-changing care they need. This acquisition plays a crucial role in the mental health care expansion efforts by increasing the provider’s capacity to reach underserved populations across new markets.
Oceans Healthcare’s employee base will grow to approximately 4,000 employees after the acquisition of Haven, further solidifying its position as a leader in the behavioral health space. The company plans to utilize this growth to expand access to care in its new markets and improve service delivery for patients in those regions. This expansion of both resources and services is an important part of the larger mental health care expansion movement that aims to improve the availability and quality of care for individuals in need.
Haven Behavioral Healthcare: A Key Acquisition
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Haven Behavioral Healthcare has built a strong reputation for providing high-quality acute inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care. Haven’s services include both partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP), as well as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and other specialized treatments for patients across a wide age range, from adolescents to older adults.
Haven’s portfolio includes seven acute inpatient psychiatric hospitals and one outpatient facility, and it has been a strong force in its respective markets. For many years, Haven has served populations in need of both immediate crisis care and long-term behavioral health management, and this alignment with Oceans’ mission of expanding access to quality care makes the acquisition a natural fit. As part of Oceans Healthcare’s mental health care expansion, Haven’s network of facilities will now be integrated into Oceans’ services, ensuring more comprehensive and accessible care options across the country.
Kelly Gill, the CEO of Haven Behavioral Healthcare, spoke of the shared vision between the two organizations: “Our health systems have always shared similarities in services, markets, populations served, and – most importantly – in mission. From our earliest conversations, it was clear that bringing our organizations together would result in something greater than the sum of its parts. We are proud to move forward with this opportunity and to ensure greater access to quality mental health care, greater opportunity for recovery, and greater hope.”
The merger between Oceans and Haven is a testament to the growing need for integrated behavioral health services that span geographic and demographic boundaries. By joining forces, the two organizations are poised to create a more expansive network of care, one that serves a broader array of patients and communities, supporting the broader mental health care expansion effort across the United States.
A Decade of Expansion and Innovation for Oceans Healthcare
Oceans Healthcare has long been recognized as a leader in the behavioral health industry, particularly in the field of intensive outpatient programs. The company’s growth over the last decade has been marked by a focused effort to expand its services beyond its initial target audience of senior citizens, broadening its reach to include patients of all ages, from adolescents to older adults. This transition highlights Oceans’ adaptability and commitment to addressing the full spectrum of mental health needs in the communities it serves.
The acquisition of Haven Behavioral Healthcare continues a trend of growth for Oceans. In addition to this new acquisition, Oceans recently opened a new behavioral health hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, in November. Earlier in June, the company also opened a joint venture inpatient facility in Norman, Oklahoma. This sustained growth reflects Oceans Healthcare’s dedication to providing accessible mental health care to underserved regions and populations. This kind of growth is a direct result of the ongoing mental health care expansion efforts aimed at addressing the increasing demand for services.
Oceans’ strategy to expand its intensive outpatient offerings has been particularly successful, as more individuals seek care that allows them to maintain daily routines while receiving treatment for mental health challenges. The need for this type of care is growing, and Oceans is uniquely positioned to meet this demand as it continues to expand its network of facilities and services. This ongoing mental health care expansion ensures that more people across the country will have access to the treatment they need, when they need it most.
Looking Ahead: A New Era for Behavioral Health Services
The acquisition of Haven Behavioral Healthcare comes at a time of significant change and growth in the behavioral health sector. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in mergers and acquisitions within the behavioral health industry, as organizations seek to strengthen their service offerings and expand their geographic reach. Several other high-profile acquisitions have taken place in the behavioral health space, including the acquisition of Prism Autism Education & Consultation by Proven Behavior Solutions and the acquisition of Life Launch Centers by Paramount Health Management, just to name a few.
For Oceans Healthcare, this acquisition is more than just a growth strategy—it’s an opportunity to expand its positive impact on individuals who may otherwise struggle to find quality mental health care. The company’s expanded network of facilities will provide greater opportunities for individuals to receive treatment, find recovery, and ultimately experience improved mental health outcomes. As the demand for mental health services continues to rise, the merging of Oceans and Haven signals a new chapter in the fight to ensure that quality care is available to those who need it most. This acquisition is central to the ongoing mental health care expansion efforts in the United States.
In the coming years, Oceans Healthcare aims to leverage this acquisition to enhance service delivery, expand access to care in newly acquired markets, and continue to lead the charge in making mental health care more accessible, more comprehensive, and more impactful than ever before. Through this merger, both organizations are demonstrating that when like-minded providers come together, they can make a lasting difference in the lives of the individuals and communities they serve.
