Fornits

Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 12:12:31 PM

Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 12:12:31 PM
For some time now, CRC Health Corporation, Inc., generally known to the greater public as CRC Health Group, has been buying up a lot of the smaller fish on the "health care industry" scene.  From what I can gather, their financial clout is for all intents and purposes exclusively provided by Bain Capital.  This fire has been kept burning due mostly to the supreme efforts of Ace Fornits Researchers (AFRs) Deborah, Toni in Utah, and HurleyGurley, as well as others I've been too myopic to notice, but I'm gonna start humbly putting my big-mouthed two cents in now too...

For some start up context, let me remind most of you, as well as myself, that CRC Health Group are the folks who bought up Aspen Education Group (AEG) back in September of 2006.

Aspen Ranch (UT), Mount Bachelor Academy (OR), SunHawk Academy (UT), Four Circles Recovery Center (NC), Camp Huntington (NY), Academy at Swift River (MA), Excel Academy (TX), Copper Canyon Academy (AZ), Cedars Academy (DE), Island View (UT), Bromley Brook School (VT), Southeast Journeys Academic Semester (NC), Stone Mountain School (NC), New Leaf Academy (NC and OR), Turn About Ranch (UT), NorthStar Center (OR), Youth Care Inc. (UT), Oakley School (UT), Pine Ridge Academy (UT), The Aspen Institute (UT), and Asperger's Program at Talisman (NC).  

AEG lists the following places under their "Wilderness Programs" category:  Aspen Achievement Academy (UT),  SUWS of the Carolinas (NC), SUWS Adolescent Program (ID), Lone Star Expeditions (TX), SageWalk - The Wilderness School (OR), Phoenix Outdoor (NC), Four Circles Recovery Center (NC), Adirondack Leadership Expeditions (NY), SUWS Youth Programs (ID),  Passages to Recovery (UT), Outback Therapeutic Expeditions (UT), SUWS Seasons (NC), and Talisman Camps & Programs (NC, WA, OR, and NY).  Some of these programs operate out of some of the aforementioned residential schools, some are entirely separate and different.

AEG lists the following institutions and programs under their "Weight Loss Programs" category:  Academy of the Sierras (CA, NC, and NY or NJ?), Wellspring New York (NY), Wellspring Adventure Camp North Carolina (NC), Wellspring Adventure Camp California (CA), Wellspring Texas (TX), Wellspring Hawaii (HI), Wellspring Family Camp (MI), and Wellspring UK (England).
http://www.aspeneducation.com/ (http://www.aspeneducation.com/)[/list]

See also:
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=219960 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=219960)

Bain, Umbra, and you know...:
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=252298 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=252298)

Eliot Sanier's Empire (CEO of AEG):
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=249320 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=249320)[/list]
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 12:24:38 PM
The seemingly bottomless pit of CRC Health Group's current clout:

===============================

Bain buys CRC Health for $720M (http://http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2005/10/10/daily34.html)
Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal - October 13, 2005

Bain Capital has agreed to acquire the CRC Health Group for about $720 million, current owners North Castle Partners and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners said on Thursday.

Cupertino-based CRC is the nation's largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment services, treating more than 20,000 people daily in 22 states. The company operates more than 90 residential, outpatient and opiate treatment centers.

North Castle, based in Greenwich, Conn., and DLJ Merchant Banking initially invested in CRC in August 2002.

North Castle brought additional investors into CRC including Ontario Municipal Employee Retirement System and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., among others.

CRC's shareholders were advised by J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch in the transaction.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anne Bonney on September 07, 2007, 12:30:27 PM
All of this, Deb's research and Gooky's recent Poll are all hinting at something veeeerrrrry interesting.

Mmm hmm.

 ::nod::  ::nod::
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 07, 2007, 12:48:15 PM
Mitt Romney is the co-founder of Bain Capital.

Let's see how far this rabbit hole goes...
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 12:53:05 PM
Quote from: ""Anne Bonney""
All of this, Deb's research and Gooky's recent Poll are all hinting at something veeeerrrrry interesting.

Mmm hmm.

 ::nod::  ::nod::


See also the Ashby Academy and the Michael Beavers threads re. how I starting poking around in the first place, as a bear is wont to do, in the garbage...

http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23117 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23117)
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23129 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23129)

I haven't even gotten around to Romney yet, but his name does keep cropping up too.
Title: Fornits Wiki
Post by: Covergaard on September 07, 2007, 12:54:31 PM
Aspen Education Category (http://http://fornits.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Aspen_Education_Group)

We have 22 of their facilities listed with myspace survivor groups where possible.

I have received very interesting material from confidential sources, which I am in the proces of making public on the site.

Fortunately former staff steps forward like in the Youth care tread and regardless of what you think about the as persons, they leave valuable information about lack of training and commitment. Sleeping night staff while a child is fighting with pain from illness etc.

What we are talking about is a making money for the stockholder based on detaining children and using naive and idealist young staffmembers thinking that they are there to help the children until they have been there for some time and either see the big picture or ends up burnt out.

The information is out there. It has to processed and published. WWASP are struggling due to bad press. Aspen and Universal Health Services should be suffer the same.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 01:05:27 PM
Quote from: ""Covergaard""
What we are talking about is a making money for the stockholder based on detaining children and using naive and idealist young staffmembers thinking that they are there to help the children until they have been there for some time and either see the big picture or ends up burnt out.

The information is out there. It has to processed and published. WWASP are struggling due to bad press. Aspen and Universal Health Services should be suffer the same.


This is it in a nutshell: "making money for the stockholder."  But really, mostly, for the movers and shakers at the top of the heap.  All these companies buying and selling each other, transactions constantly going on.  Discussions, negotiations, emails, paper changing hands.  It's making money for a select few, with virtually zero connection to what is actually going on down in the real world, where there are tangibles such as body parts, blood, tears, smells, lives in limbo, and real authentic souls, with hopes and dreams mostly never realized...
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 02:26:10 PM
One thing that I find a bit ominous about CRC Health Group is their philosophical underpinnings.  Combine that with the financial clout that Bain Capital wields, and they have the potential to not just dominate the substance abuse industry, but also to affect  public policy and political mindset as well.

They are mostly focussed on addiction treatment in its various forms.  They are also focussed on behavioral issues.  And they are avid 12-Steppers.

From what I've been able to gather, CRC Health Group acquired their first facility back in 1995.  Old-timers in this company appear to be co-founders Barry Karlan, CEO and Daniel S. Newby, who handles all the real estate aspects.  They now have 90 facilities in 21 states.  Neither of these people have experience or training in health care related issues.  They are primarily marketeers.

Since 2002, they have four-star General Barry McCaffrey making appearances in promoting their Teen Internet Drug Treatment Program called EGetgoing.  Here is the transcript to an interview done in 2002:

================================

November 11, 2002: Transcript of Live Interview of Dr. Barry Karlin, Ph.D., CEO of CRC Health/eGetgoing (http://http://www.crchealth.com/press-releases-2002/021111-radio-interview.asp)
KCBS Radio, San Francisco

KCBS Reporter (Rebecca Corral): It's about to get a little easier to find drug and alcohol treatment for young people. The country's only accredited Internet drug and alcohol treatment provider has unveiled the nation's first online-based, interactive drug and alcohol treatment program. It's called the teenGetgoing program. It's run by the CRC Health Corporation. CEO Dr. Barry Karlin joins us now on the KCBS NewsLine. Doctor, thank you very much for your time this afternoon. Why online?

Dr. Karlin: Rebecca, that is a great question. As, undoubtedly, you are aware, there is a huge gap in delivery of treatment to teens in this country. Almost one-quarter of all 18-year-olds say they take drugs and alcohol, and the big challenge is how do you get teens treatment? And this is where the Internet comes in. Teens love the Internet. It's something that they find cool, and what we're doing is launching teenGetgoing, a unique, treatment-delivery mechanism which enables teens to get actual interactive audio/video-based treatment online. So what it's all about is giving teens a chance to get treatment online in a way that is otherwise unavailable.

Rebecca: What level of drug-problem kids can you treat this way?

Dr. Karlin: That varies. At one end, you can have kids who just really need education and awareness that they have not yet become addicted. At the other end of the scale are kids who do not require inpatient treatment because, of course, this is an outpatient program--If they require in-patient treatment they would need to check into a rehab center. But certainly kids who have a significant issue short of requiring a structured, intensive, inpatient program will find this a valuable program.

Rebecca: And how do you conduct the assessment to make that determination?

Dr. Karlin: What happens is, prior to the actual treatment program, we have an awareness program which, essentially, is an Internet-based program which is interactive, and the kids go through this program; they answer a whole series of questions. It's fun. It's exciting. What they do is answer these questions in an interactive way, and based on the results which we then assess, we can make the determination and do an evaluation as to the stage in which they find themselves. For those who do need treatment, they can then segue into the formal teenGetgoing treatment program.

Rebecca: A big part of treatment for a lot of drug and alcohol programs involve group. How do you come up with the group component over the Internet?

Dr. Karlin: That's what makes this so exciting because, in fact, it is a group treatment program. As you pointed out, the peer component is crucial in the treatment process. And what this involves, really, is a group typically of eight to ten kids, all of whom are receiving treatment online in the same group. So the kids might be at school, they might be at home, they're on their computers, they can all hear one another live just like an ordinary teleconference. They cannot see one another, but they can see a live video of the professional counselor. So it's designed to emulate, as close as possible, a group treatment session that might be in a normal center. That's the power of the Internet, and we take advantage of all the audio and video technology that are available nowadays to give kids a chance to get treatment out of their home.

Rebecca: And what about UA, the urinalysis, how do you manage that part?

Dr. Karlin: That, of course, will be done separately, so we work with a network of site organizations that perform UA's. The same thing applies if the kid would need a physician involved in the process; we have a network of physicians, including their own physicians, with whom we would work to provide that component of the treatment process.

Rebecca: Now I'm sure you realize that lying, scamming is a big part of the treatment process for a lot of kids. How do you get around it? I would think that it would be a whole lot easier to sort of scam your way through over Internet.

Dr. Karlin: You know, that's a great question, and there are two solutions to that. The long-term solution, which actually is not that far away, is the use of various biometric measures -- various devices which enable you to determine who, in fact, is online. For example, there is a new technology that is available which listens to the voice and involves pattern recognition and can identify whether you have the right kid online. We haven't quite gotten to that stage yet, but we're close to it. But in the meantime, what happens is that the counselors get to know the kids very well, and once they've given treatment for a few sessions, within a very short amount of time, it's pretty pretty tough for the kids to scam us. Fundamentally, the counselor can tell whether or not the right kid is actually involved in the treatment process. They can recognize their voice--the things they say, the things they don't say. So from the standpoint of scamming, that becomes something tough to do, and frankly, what we have found with our initial pilots is that kids don't want to do that. They get excited. They want to be there. They want to be involved. Ultimately, this is not designed to be a coercive process, but a process where the team is having fun and recognizes that this is helping them.

Rebecca: We're just about out of time, but is this based on a Twelve Step model? And what has been its success so far in your testing?

Dr. Karlin: It is based on a Twelve Step model. In fact, eGetgoing belongs to CRC Health Corporation, which is one of the largest providers of treatment in the United States. We own 55 centers nationwide. That is a very strong platform. The success so far has been extremely exciting and encouraging. We completed our first pilot a few weeks ago with the West Academy up in Oregon, with 20 kids, which went extremely well. It looks like this is going to be a tremendous step in revolutionizing the way in which we offer treatment to kids. (We are now completing another very successful pilot in several schools involving 50 students in San Jose).

Rebecca: Well, doctor, we thank you very much for the time and for the information. Dr. Barry Karlin, talking to us about an Internet treatment program for drug and alcohol abuse for teenagers. And we'll get that website to you, just go to our website, http://www.kcbs.com (http://www.kcbs.com), and we'll hook you up.


##
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 02:59:35 PM
November 14, 2002: Teen Internet Drug and Alcohol Treatment: Country's First Launched in San Jose

Press Release

TEEN INTERNET DRUG AND ALCOHOL TREATMENT: COUNTRY'S FIRST LAUNCHED IN SAN JOSE BY FORMER US DRUG CZAR, SCHOOL OFFICIALS, ANTI-DRUG LEADERS, TEENS, AND CRC HEALTH CORP. (http://http://www.crchealth.com/press-releases-2002/021114-treatment-launched.asp)

CEO BARRY KARLIN AND FORMER US DRUG CZAR, GEN. BARRY MCCAFFREY JOIN TEENS, SCHOOLS, ANTI-DRUG LEADERS IN ANNOUNCING AND DEMONSTRATING PROGRAM

CRC also announces Extremely Positive Results of First Year's "eGetgoing" Adult Internet Drug and Alcohol Treatment, "eGetgoing" Merger into Comprehensive National Treatment Program of full CRC Health Corporation, and CRC Addition of Major Methadone Program to Keep People Off Heroin

(San Jose, CA)--Joined by the country's former Drug Czar, school officials, anti-drug experts, and teens, CRC Health Corporation and its online affiliate eGetgoing, the country's only accredited internet drug and alcohol treatment company, today announced and displayed the nation's first internet-based interactive audio and video drug and alcohol treatment and counseling program for teenagers. CRC Health Corporation CEO Dr. Barry Karlin and former U.S. Drug Czar, Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey, joined teens, school officials, and anti-drug leaders in a demonstration formally launching the program on Wednesday, November 13, at CRC headquarters in San Jose, CA.

Dr. Karlin said, "The 'teenGetgoing' program, which has carried out pilot projects with outstanding results, will make a big difference in how the nation handles drug and alcohol dependency by teens who now face a gap in treatment services. We have a national crisis in teen drug and alcohol abuse. Today we are announcing a way to do something extremely significant about it, something that will be revolutionary in reducing the treatment gap. Teens say that 'teenGetgoing's' private interactive video and Internet technology is 'cool'. The program also overcomes traditional drug and alcohol treatment obstacles of access, stigma, privacy, and cost. According to the Household Survey recently released by HHS, nearly one-fourth of eighth graders say they have been drunk; 10.8% of youth 12-17 used illegal drugs last year."

Gen. McCaffrey, who joined the Board of eGetgoing because of "the enormous potential for the Internet to make a difference in the country's drug treatment gap," stated, "The growing crisis of teen drug abuse mandates the imaginative and creative approach that teenGetgoing will employ on the Internet. We know that teens love interactive video, and teenGetgoing gives kids the opportunity to seek treatment in an atmosphere in which they are comfortable, with the added benefit of privacy. According to HHS, 27 million Americans use illegal drugs or alcohol regularly, 16 million need treatment, but only 3 million get it. The desperation of addiction is even more tragic when young people cannot obtain treatment. The new youth treatment opportunity from this innovative technology opens the door for them to improve the rest of their lives."

Mike Mikesell, Ph.D., School Psychologist and Counselor at West Slope Senior Academy in Portland, Oregon, reported to the group that a teenGetgoing pilot project with over 20 students had "outstanding results for the kids". He said , "The students love going on the Internet. They require no persuasion to go on-line with the counselor and look forward to it every day. Uniformly and resoundingly, everyone liked the program. Before, we were having a pretty tough time reaching the kids." Dr. Mikesell stated, "Most of all, I believe that drug consumption in the school was beginning to fall."

Jackie Guevarra, Principal of Foothill High School in San Jose, which is currently piloting teenGetgoing, also participated in the news conference and voiced her endorsement of the program. Also joining the news conference was Gabrielle Antollovich, Executive Director of National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) of Silicon Valley, and innovative anti-drug educator Lynn Lafferty, author of INDEPTH.

Dr. Karlin and General McCaffrey also made four other important announcements:

Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 07, 2007, 03:03:44 PM
November 13, 2002: Web-Based Rehab Program Pointed At Teens (http://http://www.crchealth.com/press-releases-2002/021113-teen-rehab.asp)

USA Today
By Karen Thomas


A new treatment program hopes to tap into the Internet to curb teen drinking and drug use. But experts in the field of substance abuse are leery.

With the backing of former White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey, a California health care company announced Wednesday the launch of teen Getgoing (teengetgoing.com), a Web-based treatment program that the company hopes to sell to schools and court systems.

Though the Net offers a wealth of support and community groups for adults and teens struggling with substance abuse, teenGetgoing is the first carried out entirely on the Web - from diagnosis and treatment to maintaining a drug- and alcohol-free life.

McCaffrey, who under the Clinton administration lobbied to make treatment more available and less costly, says relapse is the biggest problem facing young substance abusers. Internet technology, he says, offers a "delivery vehicle for science-based treatment" to those who otherwise would get no help and lifelong support to stay off drugs and booze.

McCaffrey is an unpaid board member for the program.

Online sessions use video technology in which eight to 10 anonymous group members can see and hear a trained counselor and can hear - but not see - one another. Advantages of the Internet are cost and privacy, says Barry Karlin, CEO of CRC Health Corporation, creator of the Web program. A 12-week, 24-session treatment costs $1,200 and isn't covered by insurance. Outpatient counseling can cost up to $3,000, and hospital or camp-based treatment can run up to $20,000.

Karlin says the program has had "remarkable" success with 80 adults in the past year and a pilot group of 20 teens in a special school for troubled kids in Oregon.

The teen program is similar to the adult program, called eGetgoing, but includes an educational step. Six sessions provide information on alcoholism and drug abuse, and quizzes give professionals the insight to deal with a youngster.

It's an "interesting concept in terms of making more treatment more accessible to more people," says Anne Bradley of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. But there is no proof, she says, that Internet programs are effective in treating substance abuse. Researchers are just beginning to see results in using computers to diagnose substance abuse in teens, and it has taken many years of groundbreaking research to find out what does work in treating substance abuse in adults.

"As we apply a new medium, we need to be sure it's in line with the research," Bradley says.

Less is known about treating teen substance abusers, says pediatrician John Knight, director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at Children's Hospital in Boston. With severe addictions, treatment isn't effective "without pulling them from their environment and putting them into a residence program. I don't know how you would do that online. It's hard enough in person."


##
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 08, 2007, 12:49:20 AM
December 4, 2002: eGetgoing Wins eHealthcare's Gold Medal for Best Website (http://http://www.crchealth.com/press-releases-2002/021204-gold-medal.asp)
Silicon Valley Business Ink

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- eGetgoing, the only nationally accredited online alcohol and drug treatment program, has won the 2002 eHealthcare Leadership Award Gold Medal for best websites, achieving the Gold medal for Best Physician/Clinician-Focused Site.

Dr. Barry Karlin, CEO of CRC Health Corporation, of which eGetgoing is the online affiliate, stated, "We are proud of the progress of eGetgoing. Adding to CRC's 55 facilities for traditional drug and alcohol treatment, we know we must reach further if we are to close the treatment gap. eGetgoing's Internet-based online technology provides the opportunity to do something revolutionary in addressing drug and alcohol treatment needs in America. We are grateful to eHealthcare for understanding and recognizing our work."

eGetgoing is accredited by both the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). eGetgoing recently concluded its first year with an outstanding 70% of participants completing their treatment -- more than double the success rate for traditional outpatient programs.

Through eGetgoing and its website, http://www.eGetgoing.com (http://www.eGetgoing.com), now in operation over a year, adults with substance abuse problems communicate directly with a trained counselor over 12-24 sessions plus obtain lifetime aftercare, and are able to utilize streaming video, games, graphics, and information provided by eGetgoing. A new program specifically for teens, teenGetgoing, was launched November 13, 2002 (see http://www.teenGetgoing.com (http://www.teenGetgoing.com)).

The 2002 eHealthcare Leadership Awards Winners represented 16 industry classifications. Sites receiving the 2002 eHealthcare Leadership Awards were selected from more than 1,000 entries. Eighty experts in healthcare and the Internet judged the entries.

CRC Health Corporation, one of the nation's largest systems of chemical dependency facilities, was recently cited by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as "one of the top five fastest growing companies" in the Silicon Valley.


##
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 08, 2007, 12:54:49 AM
February 3, 2003: Nation's First Online Substance Abuse Treatment Expands Internationally (http://http://www.crchealth.com/press-releases-2003/030203-international-online-treatment.asp)
CBS News

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb 3, 2003 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- eGetgoing, the first provider of Internet-based alcohol and substance abuse prevention and treatment services, and TieCare International, Inc. announced its partnership to provide a new, innovative approach to the substance abuse needs of the international school community. eGetgoing is the Internet-based subsidiary of CRC Health Corporation, one of the country's leading providers of substance abuse treatment. TieCare International is the leading distributor of health insurance plans and other fringe benefit programs to the American international educational community.

According to eGetgoing and CRC Health Corporation CEO Dr. Barry Karlin, "The new agreement will enable eGetgoing to bring its new, innovative, online approach to substance abuse issues, called teenGetgoing, to the overseas educational market where the online approach is most applicable. eGetgoing is the first and only JCAHO and CARF-accredited online substance abuse service available worldwide."

Tie Care International will be offering two teenGetgoing services: Aware and Discover. Aware is an individual self-paced program that, through distance learning and interactive means, gathers information about individual teens views, experience and possible involvement with alcohol and drug use. The program consists of three 30-45 minute sessions filled with engaging, teen friendly videos, interactive slides, and decision-tree inquiries that address the basics of use, abuse and dependency. Aware provides guidance to both the teens and adults in determining the most appropriate course of action for teens at risk for alcohol and drug abuse problems. Using a real time, secure Internet environment, the Discover program provides live, interactive, audio and video-based, counselor-facilitated substance abuse treatment for groups of 12 to 17 year-olds. Discover can serve as early intervention treatment, primary treatment, or continuing care service to teens living anywhere in the world. Discover groups include up to ten participants, who meet twice weekly over a twelve-week period facilitated by certified professional counselors. Students participate through state of the art technology utilizing the very latest in distance learning and interactive tools. Teens completing Discover have access to an additional lifelong aftercare program that features counselor-led alumni group chat.

Dr. Karlin, CEO of CRC Health Corporation, states that their new relationship with TieCare International "provides an opportunity for teens living anywhere in the world to access treatment services through an environment that they are familiar with and they feel comfortable in." Dr. Karlin reports, "Teens who may not normally access treatment for a variety of reasons may access online services because of the privacy and anonymity that it provides them." Andrew Thorburn, TieCare's Senior Vice President of Global Markets, states, "our relationship with schools around the world has made us aware of the pressing need in this area. When you hear figures like 90% of teens have used alcohol or drugs by the time they graduate from high school and an estimated 50% abuse these substances, and 15% are known to be chemically dependent, this gets your attention. We are very proud to be able to bring to the schools a professional and proven program that can make a real difference in this critical area."

Mr. Thorburn adds, "Although these services are not really an insurance based or financial services product, we are both pleased and excited to be associated with a plan that meets such an important need of the international educational community."


##
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Oz girl on September 08, 2007, 03:34:52 AM
Is Bain Capital a division of these guys?
http://www.bain.com/bainweb/home.asp (http://www.bain.com/bainweb/home.asp)

I went to university with 2 guys who now work for them in Sydney and melbourne. Nobody quite knows what it is that they do. Do they just give loans to giant companies like Aspen? or is Bain Capital a whole otehr company?
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 08, 2007, 04:06:41 AM
Mitt Romney is a co-founder of Bain Capital, LLC.
Bain Capital owns CRC Health Group (purchased Oct 2005, finalized earlier 2006).
CRC purchased Aspen Educational Group September/October 2006.
...hence the line from Romney to Aspen Ed.[/list]
Romney had Litchfield as a major fundraiser.
...hence the line from Romney to WWASPS.[/list]
Romney still has Mel Sembler as a major fundraiser.
...hence the line from Romney to Straight, Inc.[/list]
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 08, 2007, 04:12:30 AM
Former head Of Aspen Ed, Elliot Sanier, is now on the Board of Directors at CRC Health Group.  See Deborah's post here for more background on Sanier:

http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=249320 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=249320)
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 08, 2007, 10:32:04 AM
CRC Health Group
Executive Management (http://http://www.crchealth.com/crc-management.asp)

Barry W. Karlin, Ph.D. - Chairman and CEO

Kevin Hogge - Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Treasurer

Jerome E. Rhodes - President, Residential Division

Philip L. Herschman - President, Outpatient Division

Elliot Sainer - President, Aspen Education Group and member, Board of Directors

Daniel S. Newby - Senior Vice President, Real Estate

Kathleen Sylvia - Executive Vice President, Business Development

Thomas J. Brady, MD - Chief Medical Officer

Jay Raimondi - Chief Technology Officer

Winona Watkins - Vice President, Human Relations

Pamela Burke - Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 09, 2007, 05:28:39 AM
From their website... What's to prevent these people from recording these sessions and filing them for potential later use?  I think it is a lot easier to breach usual confidentiality restrictions when you have dealt with a person merely via a WebCam, than when you have dealt with them face to face as a real live person.

===============================

Online 12-Step Based Group Treatment Meeting (http://http://www.crchealth.com/online-treatment.asp)

Online Treatment

eGetgoing is a substance abuse treatment program available over the Internet and it is the first and only accredited online recovery program (JCAHO and CARF). The program consists of group meetings in the evening, two times a week for three months. Group members meet online under the guidance of an experienced counselor and work together on a recovery plan to improve the quality of life without drugs and alcohol.

eGetgoing is:

Group members will:


Learn more about eGetgoing (http://http://www.egetgoing.com/) or teenGetgoing (http://http://www.teengetgoing.com/) or
Speak to a Counselor Now: 1-877-75-SOBER
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 09, 2007, 12:36:21 PM
The two websites in question, egetgoing and teengetgoing, are apparently corpses.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 09, 2007, 12:41:37 PM
Quote from: ""Guest""
The two websites in question, egetgoing and teengetgoing, are apparently corpses.
HA ha haaa!  Yes, I guess I'm not the only one who would be leery of on-line treatment...  See below article.

As an aside, I think these two websites are very much fueled by ideological fervor on the part of CRC's CEO/Founder Barry Karlin and General Barry McCaffrey.  From a money-making standpoint, I think the company quietly continues to make it via business-as-usual from all their facilities and methadone clinics.

Some other comments about the below article:

General Barry McCaffrey, mentioned a few times in posts earlier in this thread as being heavily involved in promoting eGetgoing/teenGetgoing, is mentioned below as being on CRC's Board of Directors.  He's also mentioned as the former drug czar, i.e., Director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy; I was under the impression that he still was, guess I was wrong.

This article came out just after Bain Capital had finalized the purchase of CRC Health Group from North Castle Partners and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners.  More on this later.[/list]
=================================

February 20, 2006:
Getting Help Online: Despite Assured Privacy, Addicts Wary of Internet (http://http://www.crchealth.com/press-releases-2006/060220-online-help.asp)

By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News


Five years ago, Barry Karlin sensed a huge business opportunity where most people saw only devastating social blight.

There were more than 16 million people in the United States who needed treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, but only one in five addicts who sought help could get it because the number of programs was limited and the cost was so high.

Enter the Internet -- or so Karlin imagined.

Rather than undergo the shame and awkwardness of face-to-face group counseling programs, addicts could find the support they needed in cyberspace. Karlin calculated the size of the potential market for drug treatment -- online and offline -- at $12 billion.

Today, the company Karlin founded, CRC Health Group of Cupertino, is the country's largest provider of substance-abuse treatment, with 87 facilities in 21 states.

And CRC's eGetgoing program is the only accredited Internet-based addiction-treatment program in the United States.

The only thing missing is the addicts.

Even in the heart of Silicon Valley, where the pull of the Internet has proven strong enough to transform activities as diverse as driver's education and dating, the tug of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and alcohol is proving stronger than offers of cheap and confidential treatment. Since the program started in 2001, only about 1,000 addicts have logged on. Meanwhile, the company has continued to fill available slots at more traditional inpatient and outpatient programs.

"It's an entirely different mode of providing treatment," said Karlin, who says the main obstacle to the Web-based program's growth is that insurance companies are reluctant to pay for it.

Addicts receive group counseling from home, logging on twice a week for an hour-long session led by a counselor. The group communicates through headsets and microphones, using screen names of their choosing. There is streaming video of the counselor, but no photos or video of group members. Protecting privacy is paramount, Karlin said.

Still, the sense of community and trust can be very strong.

"I learned more from eGetgoing than I did in my entire life," said C.R. Watt, a Scotts Valley woman who completed the program more than a year ago, but has continued to attend an aftercare group hosted by the system.

Watt said the straight talk and support she found in her Internet group enabled her to change the way she thought about her life. "I had gone to AA places for so many years," she said. "There's no movement there."

The program costs $1,200 for 24 interactive sessions and a year of free aftercare sessions -- compared with $3,000 or more for a typical 12-week outpatient drug-treatment program.

Like many mental health professionals, Robert Brooner, a medical psychologist at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in southeast Baltimore, was initially skeptical about the benefit the Internet could bring to traditional psychotherapy. But Brooner said he recently tried eGetgoing and was surprised by its sophistication and ease of use.

Still, Brooner said he is not surprised that droves of addicts aren't turning to the Internet for confidential counseling. Many have to be forced into face-to-face counseling.

"It's not that they don't want to go public," he said. "They are trying to persuade themselves that they are just using a little more than they did before and they will slow down. The disorder is designed to preserve and protect itself."

eGetgoing tries to address the stigma around addiction -- and the hopelessness it can inspire -- by defining drug dependence as a treatable medical condition.

"This is a chronic illness that requires management," said former drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey at a company event last fall. "If we approach it from that perspective we can absolutely get people into recovery."

McCaffrey, who is a member of CRC's board of directors, said eGetgoing can prevent relapse and facilitate long-term sobriety by enabling long-term, low-cost access to counseling.

However, Jeffrey Schaler, a psychologist who teaches at American University's School of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., said the problem with eGetgoing is not its use of the Internet as much as the premise that drug users are sick and need treatment.

"It's only a metaphorical disease," said Schaler, the author of "Addiction Is a Choice." He noted that eGetgoing is based on the principles of the 12-step program first developed by Alcoholics Anonymous and that there are free 12-step programs all over the country sponsored by churches and other groups.

"The idea that you are not going to have access so you have to go online is ridiculous," Schaler said. "They are selling water by the river."

Douglas Lehrman of North Castle Partners, a private equity firm with offices in San Francisco and Greenwich, Conn., said demand stayed strong as CRC grew from one treatment center in Scotts Valley to 87 facilities around the country. During the 3 1/2 years North Castle owned CRC, revenues quadrupled to $230 million. North Castle recently sold its stake in CRC.

Meanwhile, CRC now treats approximately 22,000 people a day.

Steve Barnes, managing director at Bain Capital investment firm, said he believes CRC will continue to expand, with growth fueled in part by the company's ability to provide information and counseling over the Internet. Bain Capital closed its acquisition of CRC last week in a deal valued at $720 million.

"Health care is something you see many individuals using the Internet for," Barnes said. "There is a need in the marketplace for more treatment for substance abuse, and CRC is the leading company in this market."


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Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 10, 2007, 05:11:46 AM
Some more reference to CRC's activity in 2005/2006...

This piece, from Irving Levin Associates, Inc.'s December 2006 (?) The Health Care M&A Monthly, is basically an investor's tool and gives background on companies from that perspective.

===============================

Dealmaker Profile: CRC Health Group - Subacute Behavioral Health Care's Major Consolidator (http://http://www.levinassociates.com/publications/mam/mamheadlines/06%20mamhead/612mamhead2.htm)

We recently spoke with Dr. Barry Karlin, CEO of CRC Health Group, about the banner year that his company has been having. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, CRC is a provider of subacute behavioral health care. Throughout its 11-year history, the company has grown through acquisition, recently spending $150.4 million in 2004, $148.6 million in 2005 and $332.6 million in 2006. Maintaining a focus on private and commercial payors and decentralizing management have been two major keys to the company's success.

CRC owns and operates drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities and clinics that specialize in treating chemical dependency, other addiction diseases and behavioral health disorders such as eating disorders. Often, patients check in with a dual diagnosis of chemical dependency and some other behavioral problem. The company thus offers services including detoxification, inpatient treatment, day and intensive outpatient programs, aftercare, therapeutic living programs and opiate treatment programs. CRC delivers its services through two segments: residential treatment facilities and outpatient opiate treatment clinics.

CRC's recent acquisition history appears in the table on page 4, which presents its three most recent years of dealmaking. As of September 30, 2006, CRC operated 103 facilities and clinics located in 23 states; it also provides online chemical dependency treatment available through eGetgoing. For the eight months ended September 30, 2006, it generated revenue of $166.2 million, EBITDA of $41.2 million and net income of $3.2 million. CRC announced its largest acquisition ever at the end of the third quarter, so we can expect significant growth in 2007.

The amount CRC paid on acquisitions in 2006 was greater than what it paid in the two prior years combined. The engine behind this growth spurt is the private equity firm Bain Capital Partners, LLC. Effective January 31, 2006, Boston-based Bain Capital carried out a leveraged buyout of CRC valued at $723.0 million, making it the largest behavioral health care deal of the year. Of that amount, $463.0 million was to pay former shareholders and $260.0 million to pay off debt. The price to revenue (P/R) multiple was 3.1x and the price to EBITDA multiple was 11.0x. At that time, CRC operated 89 facilities in 21 states treating approximately 22,700 patients per day. It received 75% of its revenue from nongovernmental sources, with 54% coming from self payers and 21% from commercial payers.

At the end of September, CRC acquired Cerritos, California-based Aspen Educational Group, which runs programs for underachieving and at-risk youth at residential treatment centers, wilderness therapy programs and summer camps, among others. It operates 32 programs in the U.S. and one in the U.K. CRC paid $296.4 million, or 1.99x 2006 annualized revenue and 17.4x 2005 EBITDA. The principal selling shareholders included such notables as Frazier Healthcare Ventures, Warburg Pincus and Sprout Group.

What justifies the high P/R multiples CRC has been paying for its acquisitions, relative to other behavioral health care deals? First and foremost, its sources of reimbursement. CRC has an enviable payor mix: 75% comes from nongovernmental sources, including self-payors and commercial insurance. Dr. Karlin informed us that the company does receive Medicaid but no Medicare at all. He reasons that Medicaid is less risky than Medicare because there are as many Medicaid payors as there are states. Once Aspen is integrated, the 25% governmental source will drop to about 18%. It seems unlikely that CRC will court a higher proportion of governmental sources; in any event, Dr. Karlin feels that the government diverts a "minuscule amount" for behavioral health, even though such care offers remedies for crime, safety and lost productivity, as well as their financial impact.

Another key is the decentralized management model CRC employs, allowing each facility to accommodate local nuances and to respond more nimbly to individual clients' needs. As Dr. Karlin points out, "Health care delivery is local." Keeping that mantra in mind, he believes, helps foster the best results for clients.

With its recent acquisition of Aspen, CRC has established itself in the eating disorders, adolescent weight management and troubled youth markets. It offers therapeutic boarding schools and healthy living programs. One of Aspen's programs is located in England. Although there are no immediate plans for expansion there, Europe does represent an attractive market for CRC so the English operations will be maintained rather than divested. CRC has established itself as the premier provider of subacute behavioral health care and is unlikely to diverge from that model. While there appear to be no other similar companies of comparable size to buy, a number of mom-and-pop operations remain and it is likely that CRC will continue to grow through tuck-in acquisitions of such facilities.

While Bain Capital recapitalized CRC earlier this year, it will certainly want to recoup its investment and make a profit down the line. An IPO is foreseeable in a few years' time, depending on market conditions.

-------------------------------------------

CRC HEALTH GROUP'S RECENT ACQUISITION HISTORY (http://http://www.levinassociates.com/publications/mam/mamheadlines/06%20mamhead/612mampg4.pdf)

Target Facility | Kind of Business | Purchase Price | P/R | Date

2006
Aspen Educational Group, Inc.| Troubled youth programs | $ 296,400,000 | 1.99 | 9/29/2006
Sober Living by the Sea | Substance abuse facility | $18,200,000 | - | 9/20/2006
Five methadone and detox centers | Substance abuse facilities | $10,800,000 | - | 7/27/2006
New Life Lodge | Substance abuse facility | $3,800,000 | - | 6/23/2006
Center for Hope of the Sierras, LLC | Eating disorder programs | $3,400,000 | - | 4/14/2006
     
2005
4therapy.com NETWORK | Online subacute behavioral health | $5,000,000 | 7.14 | 10/7/2005
Wellness Resource Center, Inc. | Residential care facility | $6,000,000 | 1.67 | 9/30/2005
Montecatini, Inc. | Eating disorder programs | $4,700,000 | - | 9/29/2005
Sixth Street | Methadone maintenance clinic | $800,000 | 1.33 | 6/3/2005
Sierra Tucson | Inpatient addiction services | $132,100,000 | 4.42 | 3/30/2005

2004-2003
Sheltered Living, Inc. | Subacute behavioral inpatient facility | $15,900,000 | 2.65 | 6/15/2004
National Specialty Clinics, Inc. | Opiate treatment network | $91,600,000 | 2.74 | 12/15/2003
Comprehensive Addiction Programs, Inc. | Addiction treatment programs | $39,500,000 | 1.36 | 2/26/2003
Center for Behavioral Health of California | Opiate treatment clinic | $3,400,000 | 1.70 | 2/15/2003

P/R - Price-to-revenue multiple.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 10, 2007, 06:46:39 AM
Here is another bit from Levins Associates, i.e., from:

http://www.levinassociates.com (http://www.levinassociates.com)[/list]

It's about 200 pages, pdf download HERE (http://http://www.levinassociates.com/publications/mam/mampdfs/abstractMAM2Q07.pdf).
Google's cached HTML version HERE (http://http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:VyVIW7njAXUJ:www.levinassociates.com/publications/mam/mampdfs/abstractMAM2Q07.pdf+crc+health+site:www.levinassociates.com/&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us).

Some snippets of interest follow...

From the INTRODUCTION (p5):


From the "chapter" on BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE (p11):

Five Largest Behavioral Health Deals Of The Past 12 Months | Value | Quarter

1. Psychiatric Solutions acquired Horizon Health Corp. | $426.0 million | Q4:06
2. CRC Health Corp. acquired Aspen Educational Group | $296.4 million | Q3:06
3. Psychiatric Solutions acquired Alternative Behavioral Services | $210.0 million | Q4:06
4. Psychiatric Solutions acquired two HMA psychiatric hospitals | $38.0 million | Q3:06
5. CRC Health acquired Sober Living by the Sea | $18.2 million | Q3:06[/list]

Well, well... This is a bit of a non sequitur, but remember Psychiatric Solutions?  This was the organization that Michael Beavers sold his "psychiatric hospital" Piedmont Behavioral Health Center, LLC to, prior to buying the old Shackleton School grounds (and subsequently opening Ashby Academy).  See here for some petty disagreements that arose out of a mail delivery issue: http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23129 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23129)
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Deborah on September 11, 2007, 10:43:50 AM
And.... Sainer retires
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=282472#282472 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=282472#282472)
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 11, 2007, 10:59:03 AM
Quote from: ""Deborah""
And.... Sainer retires
http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=282472#282472 (http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?p=282472#282472)


WHOA!! Wonder what that is really about!!?  Perhaps wanting to distance himself from responsibility for recent deaths?  Somebody else gonna get the axe for that?
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Deborah on September 11, 2007, 11:20:49 AM
Gettin while the gettin's good.
I'm sure CRC is prepared to handle settlements.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 11, 2007, 12:31:09 PM
Probably why Don "Jump Ship" Vardell recently went back to his Aspen roots.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 16, 2007, 09:51:13 PM
Bump for more info
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: TheWho on September 16, 2007, 10:18:54 PM
It seems we are seeing the poise for anticipation of rapid growth in the industry.

They typically try to move people around very quickly, reassignments, assessing areas where they will need to back fill personel during rapid expansion.

I think the 4th quarter could prove interesting.... if anyone feels like investing, now might be a good time and then pull out before the election in 08 when health care reform gets visability from the new dems in office.
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 16, 2007, 11:24:19 PM
Quote from: ""TheWho""
if anyone feels like investing


SHORT THEIR FUCKING STOCK
SHORT THEIR FUCKING STOCK
SHORT THEIR FUCKING STOCK
SHORT THEIR FUCKING STOCK
SHORT THEIR FUCKING STOCK
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 16, 2007, 11:30:07 PM
Does anyone know anything about North Castle Partners? Some site said they own CRC...
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Anonymous on September 16, 2007, 11:33:55 PM
Hrm. Never mind. Apparently they sold out to Bain back in February of 2006. And none of them seem to be public in the least, so there's no stock to short. Damn. :(
Title: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: Ursus on September 17, 2007, 01:33:21 AM
Quote from: ""Guest""
Does anyone know anything about North Castle Partners? Some site said they own CRC...


Head founding partner used to work at Bain.  Can't remember if it was Bain Capital LLC or its progenitor Bain & Co. but clearly, the "working relationship" was already quite close.  Some mention of them made earlier in the Bain thread, see HERE (http://http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=23153&start=11) for more details...

They used to co-own CRC for a small number of years with some other investment firm, this second firm being owned by Credit Suisse First Boston.  CRC was then sold to Bain for ~$720 M in October 2005, finalized January/February 2006.
Title: Re: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: caring1 on November 29, 2010, 03:23:33 PM
Hey, Im ready to put my thoughts in
Title: Re: Big Fish CRC Trawls The Waters
Post by: caring1 on November 29, 2010, 05:33:43 PM
I personally found that insurance (http://http://www.goldenrule.com) is a must.  I dropped my insurance and I got screwed.  I thought it would be cheaper that way but boy was I wrong.  My bills are super high now