NET acquires Riverside Care; preserves patient services and employee jobs

NorthEast Treatment Centers (NET), a community-based provider of behavioral health and social services, announced its acquisition of Riverside Care, Inc., formerly an affiliate of Eagleville Foundation, Eagleville, PA.  Riverside Care consists of five outpatient substance abuse treatment locations, serving residents throughout Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley. It will remain a separate corporate entity.

NET President and CEO, Terence McSherry, stated that the complexities of consumer needs, treatment innovation, and economic realities, "made it apparent that the two organizations could each enhance the reach and effectiveness of the other."  The immediate effect of the Riverside Care acquisition has been to preserve more than 40 employee jobs and maintain continuity of treatment services for the more than one thousand patients to whom Riverside Care provides services each year.

In addition to Mr. McSherry, NET Board Chairman Lawrence Devlin pointed out that the acquisition of Riverside Care marks the kickoff of NET's 40^th anniversary year. "We started with one location," Mr. Devlin said, "and now have 13 sites, and Riverside Care has five. NET has residential programs, intensive outpatient and outpatient programs, serving youth, families, and adults. The quality of services in all of our programs is at a consistently high level."

Mr. McSherry and Mr. Devlin both commented that these are challenging times for nonprofit providers of community-based social services. "Everyone talks about the need for services," Mr. McSherry said, "but support is limited by reduced resources." He further stated that he is confident that NET's acquisition will benefit both organizations' consumers, and enhance the organizations as well.