WHS-owned Greenbriar Treatment Centers to be acquired by Gateway Rehabilitation Center
Aliquippa-based Gateway Rehabilitation Center will be acquiring Greenbriar Treatment Centers, which are owned by Washington Health System (WHS), in a deal that was announced Thursday.
This means that the Greenbriar detoxification and inpatient facility in Washington will be operating under the Gateway banner once the transaction is completed, along with the long-term inpatient residential facility at the WHS Greene hospital in Waynesburg. Greenbriar also operates seven outpatient facilities in the Pittsburgh region, one of which is located in North Strabane, and two halfway houses.
Officials with WHS and Gateway hope to close the deal by June 30. The cost to Gateway of acquiring the Greenbriar facilities was not available for release, according to Stephanie Wagoner, a spokeswoman for WHS. The agreement between Gateway and WHS had been in the works for several months, with officials of the two organizations more or less deciding that it was better to work together than as competitors.
Brook Ward, president and CEO of WHS, said in a news release, “The proposed merger will enable the community, family members of those seeking treatment, and our referring health care professionals to have a centralized and streamlined system to coordinated care for patients.”
Ward added, “In order to best serve of our community, WHS sought a partner that showed the interest and ability to maintain the high level of care and services we have always provided to our community.”
The release also states that “the vast majority” of Greenbriar employees will be offered positions with Gateway and there will not be a change in services in the near-term.
According to James Troup, president and CEO of Gateway, “Greenbriar Treatment Center is a strong fit with Gateway Rehab’s mission and philosophy. Both companies have similar values and principles including treating everyone with respect and dignity while also recognizing every individual is unique in their path to recovery.”
There are Gateway rehabilitation centers in the western portion of Pennsylvania and the eastern part of Ohio. Gateway is larger than Greenbriar, based on the amount of territory they cover and the number of employees, Wagoner said.