Centerstone, WellSpring Resources finalize merger
BELOW: Staff members of the former WellSpring Resources mark a day of transition Thursday in Alton.
From Illinois Business Journal news services
ALTON — WellSpring Resources and Centerstone announced today that the merger of the two Southern Illinois behavioral health-care organizations is final.
The merger positions Centerstone of Illinois as one of the top five largest nonprofit behavioral health-care organizations in the state. The new organization has 700 employees, serves 16,500 clients, and has an operating budget of $36.5 million.
“I’m delighted to welcome our new colleagues to Centerstone,” said John G. Markley, CEO of Centerstone of Illinois. “Although we’ve been working together officially since July, today marks the beginning of our public presence as Centerstone in our Alton and Jerseyville offices and the communities we serve in Madison, Greene, Jersey, and Calhoun counties. By combining our areas of expertise and sharing best practices and resources, we are better positioned to enhance our services and expand the ways we care for our clients each day.”
“Joining Centerstone is exciting for our organization, our employees, our clients and our communities,” said Jennifer Craig, chief operating officer of Centerstone of Illinois. “We have compatible cultures, complementary services and similar approaches to care. As one organization, we look forward to offering an even higher level of expertise and quality to the services we provide.”
Centerstone is one of the largest non-profit providers of behavioral health care in the nation. In operation for 60 years, it has provider organizations in Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee, which offer an array of treatment, support and educational programs and services to more than 142,000 individuals who have mental health and addiction disorders and developmental disabilities.
In announcing the merger’s finalization, Markley also announced the new board of directors for Centerstone of Illinois. Serving Centerstone as board chair is Sally Sheahan (Alton) and Bonnie Brackett (Energy, Ill.) as vice chair. Tom Johnson, also of Alton, serves as secretary and Chris Julian-Fralish (Carbondale) is immediate past chair.
Additional Centerstone directors include: Susan Doucleff, Patricia Fischer, Rick Lauschke (Alton); Karen McGarvey and Stephani Meyer (Bethalto); Dave Severin (Benton); David J. Melby and Jonette Eagles (Creal Springs); Josh McKey (Edwardsville); Claire Cooper (Godfrey); Carol Zwick (Herrin); Ronda Dunn (Murphysboro); Bill Alexander and Kim Kaytor (West Frankfort); and Jacob Lowry (Wood River).
The intent to merge Alton-based WellSpring into Centerstone was announced in May with the implementation beginning in July.
About Centerstone
Centerstone, a not-for-profit organization, is one of the nation’s largest behavioral health-care providers. It offers a range of treatment, support and educational programs and services to individuals who have mental health and addiction disorders and developmental disabilities. Each year, the organization serves more than 142,000 people of all ages at nearly 150 locations across Florida, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee. It also operates the Centerstone Foundation, Centerstone Research Institute, Advantage Behavioral Health, Centerstone Military Services and Centerstone Health Partners.
