Meridian to Introduce Red River Behavioral Health System in Grand Forks, a New Psychiatric Hospital to Serve Adolescents, Adults and Geriatrics

Red River to be led by new seasoned team with extensive experience
and a strong track-record in psychiatric care and administration.

ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Meridian Behavioral Health is pleased to announce it has acquired an
acute psychiatric hospital located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, one of
only three such hospitals in the state. The hospital has been renamed
Red River Behavioral Health System (RRBHS) and its management team
brings decades of experience in providing a full spectrum of psychiatric
care to adolescent, adult and geriatric patients. Meridian sees RRBHS as
an opportunity to address the strong, underserved need for high-quality,
patient-centric psychiatric care serving Grand Forks and surrounding
rural communities in both North Dakota and northern Minnesota.

“We are thrilled about the prospects of providing much needed,
high-quality psychiatric services in Grand Forks with Red River
Behavioral Health System,” said Fran Sauvageau, President and CEO of
Meridian. “The leadership team of John Baker, RRBHS’ CEO, and Dr.
Bradford Frank, RRBHS’ new Medical Director, brings a stellar track
record in psychiatric health, and the team is looking forward to working
with local clinicians and referral sources to provide a full spectrum of
mental health and psychiatric services to those in need.”

John Baker, who serves as the CEO of RRBHS, is a seasoned behavioral
healthcare leader, administrator and operator with more than 20 years of
executive experience with a variety of leading behavioral health
organizations including Universal Health Services. John was previously a
psychiatric hospital CEO with Haven Behavioral Healthcare.

“John brings great passion to providing patient-centric care, and he is
a tireless team-builder who brings an impressive track record of
collaborating with the communities, clinicians, referral sources and
patients he serves,” said Sauvageau.

Dr. Bradford Frank, RRBHS’ Medical Director, is Board Certified in
General, Addiction, and Geriatric Psychiatry. He is a Clinical Assistant
Professor at the University of North Dakota, School of Medicine and
Health Sciences, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric
Association. Dr. Frank brings over 30 years of experience as both a
clinician and administrator. Prior to RRBHS, he worked at the VA.

Dr. Frank graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in
Chemistry and his M.D. degree. He also earned a Master of Public Health
(MPH) from Yale, and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of
Management.

About Meridian Behavioral Health
Meridian Behavioral Health
is one of the leading behavioral healthcare providers in the Upper
Midwest. Combined with RRBHS, Meridian provides care to more than 10,000
patients annually across 21 campuses including inpatient/psychiatric,
residential, outpatient and medication-assisted treatment. At a time
when the region suffers from a shortage of behavioral healthcare
services, Meridian continues to invest in new campuses and programs. It
also recently invested in a new campus in Rochester and Owatonna,
Minnesota. For more than 25 years, Meridian has developed and refined an
innovative, evidence-based approach to care focused on the medical model
of treating addictive disease. Visit www.meridianprograms.com
or call 1.877.367.1715.

Contacts

Meridian Behavioral Health
John Seymour, 612-454-2306