Closure of Riverbend Counseling Associates (RCA) Posted on July 16, 2024August 16, 2024 STATEMENT FROM LISA K. MADDEN President & CEO Riverbend Community Mental Health Riverbend Community Mental Health Center, Inc. made the thoughtful but painful decision to close its adult outpatient practice known as Riverbend Counseling Associates (RCA) this summer. The practice, located at 105 Loudon Road, Building 4 in Concord – will close on Friday, August 16, 2024. The decision to close is strictly a business decision, and no reflection on our wonderful providers or our recognition of the acute need for care in our community. We have been committed to providing services to the broader community for many years, and we have tried to find ways to sustain the operations of this program. The clinical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and countless other community stressors on the demand for services have been well documented, with other health care providers also facing difficult times. The Medicaid unwind has been particularly difficult, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue and uncompensated care that significantly impacted our overall financial health as an organization. Our first priorities have been notifying our clients and our staff. Though we are providing full service through our closing date, our team at RCA has been working with existing clients to transition their treatment plans. We started notifying clients in mid-June — purposefully providing two months’ notice so that clients would be able to meet with their therapists and organize future treatment plans. For our staff, we are trying to provide alternative employment opportunities within our broader agency where possible. It is tremendously disappointing to me, the leadership at Riverbend and the Board of Directors that we needed to close this program; it has been a great service to our community. We are proud and humbled to have served so many in the community in their mental health journeys. Our management team and Board of Directors will continue to work with partners at the community and state level to secure funding and raise awareness for essential mental health programs like those at Riverbend. We have a 60-year record of service to our community and it is our hope to provide critical mental health care and services for years to come.
