The Coalition for Behavioral Health and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State to Merge
Advocacy and Services will be Stronger Together
The Coalition for Behavioral Health (The Coalition) and Alcoholism and Substance Providers of NYS (ASAP) are thrilled to announce that they will be affiliating and then merging over the next year and the membership of the New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers (NYAASAP) will be merging with The Coalition’s membership following successful board and membership votes in favor of the affiliation and merger.
The Coalition, ASAP, and NYAASAP began merger discussions in 2019 after announcing a strategic partnership, with a pause during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Board-appointed representatives of member agencies from the three organizations met to carefully consider the mission, impact and practical benefits of a merger, and the financial health of the organizations. The process was facilitated by the New York Council on Nonprofits (NYCON).
The Boards of the Coalition and the two affiliated ASAP boards all voted for the affiliation and merger, which was followed by a vote of the memberships of The Coalition and NYAASAP. Both memberships voted in favor of the integration, exceeding the two-thirds majority required for this merger.
“As New Yorkers fight against rising mental health and substance use challenges, strong advocacy to increase access to care and help providers expand services is critical,” said Amy Dorin, President & CEO, The Coalition for Behavioral Health. “This merger will lead to a louder, stronger voice for our members and for the people we serve. It will be of great value to our system of care.”
“This is the time for bold action to improve substance use care throughout New York,” said John Coppola, Executive Director, ASAP & NYAASAP. “With overdose deaths rising to new highs every day, we need the strongest voice possible to advocate for increased access to care, and to address the co-occurring mental health challenges that many individuals face. Mental health and substance use service providers face many of the same challenges, including inadequate funding and reimbursement, a workforce crisis, and the need to strengthen and expand existing services to meet community needs. Our members and the people they serve will benefit from the increased strength created by our new corporate structure.”
“By merging, The Coalition and ASAP will secure a strong future for their members and the people they serve,” said Debra Pantin, President of the ASAP board and President & CEO of Outreach. “The Boards carefully considered the affiliation and merger, and saw several key benefits, including expanded reach, stronger advocacy and a greater ability to develop member benefits. It is exciting to work on a project that can have so many implications, including a strong network of behavioral health providers that can service our communities.”
“New York has a crowded landscape of overlapping provider associations, with agencies paying dues to many groups, while the resources of each association are limited,” said Keith Little, Chair of The Coalition’s Board and President & CEO of SCO Family of Services. “As board members, we realized a merger would create a larger organization that could boldly advocate for its members with more robust infrastructure and staffing. The benefits to member agencies are clear. I look forward to serving on the transition board.”
“Provider associations must change and innovate to lead their members through changing circumstances,” said Jeremy Klemanski, Chair of NYAASAP and President & CEO of Helio Health. “As mental health and substance use needs continue to grow in New York, providers need robust and unified advocacy, technical assistance and training to provide the highest-quality care to New Yorkers. The merger will bring these benefits and more to the substance use and mental health provider members of our organizations. I believe this merger represents tremendous opportunity and value for our members to be stronger together.”
The Coalition for Behavioral Health is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. ASAP, a 501(c)3 organization, and NYAASAP, 501(c)6 organization, are affiliated with each other while governed by independent Boards of Directors.
On January 1, 2023, the memberships will come together, and all current board members will join to comprise the transitional board that will guide and complete the merger process which will include determining a new name, establishing member benefits, and creating the new corporate structure. During the transitional period, which is expected to be completed by January 2024, Amy Dorin and John Coppola will serve as co-CEOs.