Meridian eyes Highland Hospital after Acadia deal falls through

Meridian Behavioral Health plans to purchase Highland Hospital Association and its facilities that treat mental health and substance use disorders. The transaction is expected to close next month and would mark Meridian’s first entry into West Virginia.

Highland’s new construction project in 2011 led to $28 million in debt, and the organization ultimately went on the market last spring. Acadia Healthcare originally set out to purchase Highland but backed out of the deal by year’s end.

Three companies in the Highland portfolio that will be included in the Meridian deal include:

• Highland Hospital Association – A psychiatric hospital with 80 acute-care beds and a 24-bed psychiatric residential treatment facility for children and adolescents.
• Highland Health Center, Inc. – A 16-bed residential treatment and detox center.
• Process Strategies – An outpatient center with integrated behavioral healthcare, primary care, and pharmacy services.

 “Our board believes Meridian is in a position to provide Highland with the capital and clinical support needed to serve our patients and our region,” Kiran Devaraj, chief medical officer of Highland, said in a statement.