New Executive Chair Chris Christie to Help Beach House Rehab Center Reach More Hard-Hit Communities in Opiate Crisis
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has joined the board of Beach House Center for Recovery as Executive Chairman, with the goal of ending addiction-related suffering, helping affected families, and strengthening our nation’s workforce and economy. The development aired last week in a July 12 press release. (Please find below).
Christie has worked tirelessly to end the opiate epidemic ever since his time in office in New Jersey, where he signed into law some of the nation’s most comprehensive legislation to regulate prescription painkillers and support addiction treatment for those who need it. He also chaired the President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission until December 2017.
That commitment to the fight against addiction is personally inspired: Christie lost a close friend and former law school classmate to overdose after taking part in an intervention to save his friend’s life. Seeing up close the devastating toll that addiction can take on families strengthened the resolve to be part of the solution.
Christie’s new role with Beach House, coming on the heels of our recent acquisition by BelHealth Investment Partners, means that Beach House will be able to make further strides in extending Medication-Assisted Treatment and in-network insurance coverage for addiction to individuals and families who need it. The focus: a healthier, more addiction-resilient workforce and economy that is also strengthening American families and communities.
Get the full scoop below.
FORMER GOVERNOR CHRISTIE CONTINUES FIGHT
AGAINST ADDICTION, OPIOID EPIDEMIC
Named Executive Chairman of Beach House Center for Recovery
Juno Beach, FL, July 12, 2018 – Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is continuing his fight against the opioid epidemic by joining the board of Beach House Center for Recovery in Juno Beach, Florida as Executive Chairman. The Center is a nationally recognized drug and alcohol treatment provider that employs a truly unique approach to fighting addiction.
In his leadership role on the board, Christie will offer strategic counsel and insights to effectively combat the opioid epidemic on multiple fronts, in a shared vision with Beach House to make recovery possible for as many addicts as possible. His focus will be to end suffering, help families and strengthen our nation’s workforce and economy. He’ll work with management in reviewing plans, defining issues and maintaining accountability.
For Christie, addiction is a personal issue. In 2006, a law school classmate and close friend overdosed on the lethal combination of opioids and alcohol at age 52. Previously, he had taken part in an intervention with family and friends to try and save his friend’s life, but to no avail. Unfortunately, he witnessed firsthand the devastation addiction wreaks on families. While in office, he worked to pass legislation and provide support for those addicted to opioids. He served as a board member of Daytop Village, a treatment facility in Mendham, NJ and chaired the President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission until December 2017.
“When I visited Beach House Center for Recovery, I saw that they have what’s missing in addiction services today,” said former Governor Chris Christie. “This facility offers a full breadth of treatment solutions, which are needed for long-term recovery. It is an all-encompassing approach that addresses clinical and medical, stress, self-esteem, mental health, physical aspects, family interventions, pending legal issues, spiritual needs and more. Families must have access to recovery solutions that address the emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and the self-acceptance aspects of addiction, which Beach House uniquely offers.”
“Today, preventing and treating addiction means understanding clients’ personal needs along with a complex set of clinical considerations,” said Anna Ciulla, LMHC, RD, LD and Chief Clinical Officer at Beach House. “Abstinence-based treatment, medically-assisted treatment and adverse childhood experiences must be understood and incorporated into treatment plans, when appropriate, to address the root causes of addiction and generate lasting recovery. Former Governor Christie understands these complexities, and that treatment needs to address underlying core issues while tracking outcomes every step of the way.”
In June 2018, Beach House partnered with BelHealth Investment Partners to accelerate growth and increase exposure for individuals seeking treatment. Harold S. Blue, Managing Partner of BelHealth stated, “We have witnessed Governor Christie’s active involvement in the Substance Use Disorders (SUD) space for many years and we were fortunate enough to make his acquaintance due to our mutual desire to fight the war on opioid addiction. He is passionate about addressing SUDs, but especially in relation to the opioid epidemic currently facing our country, which is evidenced through his leadership on the President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. Beach House and BelHealth are elated to be working hand and hand with Christie and look forward to making great strides in medication-assisted treatment and in-network insurance opportunities.”
About Beach House Rehab Center
Founded in 2014, Beach House Rehab Center is a nationally recognized drug and alcohol treatment provider offering a full continuum of medical and clinical integrated care to people with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. A BelHealth portfolio company, the state-of-the-art treatment facility is located on a five-acre recovery campus in the coastal town of Juno Beach, Florida and serves clients from across the nation. Based on an individual client’s needs, the Center offers abstinence-based treatment, as well as medically-assisted treatment (MAT). Its outcomes-based model, which entails coordinating care across the full spectrum of needs/services is unparalleled. The Beach House staff assist clients at all levels including medically managed detox, residential inpatient, outpatient and continuing care phases of recovery. Clients receive highly individualized treatment options within a supportive setting that emphasizes the healing power of love and connection. With long-term recovery outcomes that outperform the industry, Beach House is recognized as a trusted provider of evidence-based addiction treatment and is a center for clinical excellence.
About BelHealth Investment Partners
BelHealth Investment Partners, based in New York, is a healthcare private equity firm focused on lower middle market companies. BelHealth has a unique combination of investing, executive management and entrepreneurial experience. BelHealth acquires majority positions in entrepreneur-owned companies that it believes would benefit from its extensive operating and private equity investment expertise. The firm invests across three core healthcare segments: Services, Products and Distribution. BelHealth is investing from its current $350 million fund.