Burrell, Fordland Clinic officially partner up

C.J. Davis: Partnership represents future of health care.

A planned partnership announced in the spring between a pair of nonprofits is now finalized, allowing the organizations to expand primary and mental health services.

After signing a letter of intent in April to affiliate, Burrell Behavioral Health and the Fordland Clinic completed the agreement following a period of due diligence, according to a news release.

The partnership allows the health care agencies to provide services to each other’s patients, with both remaining autonomous and retaining their own boards. Burrell patients now are able to receive primary care services via the Fordland Clinic at the behavioral health provider’s 1300 E. Bradford Parkway campus. By integrating with Burrell, the Fordland Clinic is able to expand behavioral health services in Fordland and Kimberling City.

“This partnership is truly a glimpse into the future of health care,” Burrell President and CEO C.J. Davis said in the release. “Mental health is physical health, and through this affiliation both Burrell and Fordland Clinic will be able to provide top-of-the line care in all fields for the people who walk through our doors.”

Burrell participated in a three-year exploratory phase of the Certified Behavioral Health Clinic program, established in 2016 through the Excellence in Mental Health Act, sponsored by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri. In the program, Burrell is reimbursed via a cost-based system. Affiliating with the Fordland Clinic provides Burrell the partner to begin incorporating basic medical and dental services into its continuum of care, according to the release.

Through the partnership, Fordland Clinic CEO Joan Twiton now serves a dual role after being named Burrell’s president of community health centers.

“The effects of depression, anxiety and substance abuse on our patients’ health is a major factor in their symptoms and how we treat them, and more than half of Burrell clients do not have an established primary care provider,” Twiton said in the release. “By offering all our individual expert services under one roof, we can meet multiple patient needs in a single visit without the need for long or multiple drives, which is a huge barrier to care in many of the communities we service.”

The Fordland Clinic, which offers family health, dental and mental health services, represents the latest in a series of recent community partnerships Burrell has forged. Springfield Public Schools, Mercy Springfield Communities and the Greene County Family Justice Center began partnering this year with the behavioral health provider, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Burrell experienced 45% revenue growth from 2016-18, landing at No. 11 on SBJ’s 2019 Dynamic Dozen list. Its revenue for 2018 was $103 million. The nonprofit now serves some 45,000 clients in Missouri and Arkansas, with Davis noting in May a merger had finalized with Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Youth Bridge Inc.