Bradford Health CEO blasts ‘misleading claims’ about opposition to Shelby County recovery center

The head of an addiction treatment and recovery provider says his company’s opposition to a rival’s proposed treatment center in Shelby County is based on numbers, not on stifling competition.

Rob Marsh, CEO of Bradford Health Services, released a statement Thursday after Longleaf Recovery & Wellness CEO Colin Harris used social media Tuesday in hopes of rallying support for the proposed Shelby County center.

“Given the current capacity and utilization of existing facilities, we believe that adding duplicative services is currently unnecessary and could impact the resources patients and families rely on,” Marsh said in a statement.

Longleaf Recovery & Wellness, based in Birmingham, is seeking to create a 60-bed facility on a 125-acre horse farm near Starrett in Shelby County.

The plan has already been approved earlier this year by the Statewide Health Coordinating Council (SHCC) and Gov. Kay Ivey.

Earlier this week, Bradford Health Services filed for a contested case. The proposed center must now go before an administrative law judge for another round of approval.

Back in February, Bradford opposed the plan before the SHCC, giving several reasons, such as arguing the facility was not needed. Harris said Alabamians face a “lack of options” in seeking care.

“This fight isn’t about us, it’s about the thousands of Alabamians who deserve better treatment options without leaving their families or their home state,” Harris wrote on Facebook.

Marsh, in response, said Bradford has offered substance-use disorder and behavioral health care for more than 40 years.

“We continue to accept all insurance and treat clinically eligible patients,” Marsh said. “Bradford has open beds across our continuum of care locations; and we don’t expect this to change in the near or medium term.

“Contrary to misleading claims, our opposition to the certificate of need application filed by Longleaf Recovery and Wellness is grounded in the failure of the application to comply with Alabama’s Certificate of Need regulatory standards, which prioritize unmet community need, high quality, improved access, unnecessary spending, existing facilities and the sustainability of the entire health care delivery system.”

Still, Marsh said Bradford will “fully respect and abide by the final outcome while keeping our focus where it has always been: delivering the highest-quality, compassionate, accessible care to those in need, while supporting our caregivers and the many Alabama communities we proudly call home.”

Bradford has nine centers in Alabama and 28 addiction treatment facilities around the U.S., according to its website.

Longleaf operates four centers across Alabama specializing in addiction recovery and mental health – in the Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville areas.