Healthcare Industry Veteran Takes the Helm at Acadia Healthcare Following Comprehensive CEO Search
Acadia Healthcare has appointed Chris Hunter as its chief executive officer, the Franklin-based behavioral health provider announced. (See Acadia’s announcement: https://www.acadiahealthcare.com/about/news-media-events/new-ceo-announcement-christopher-hunter/.) Hunter will join the company on April 11, 2022, and will also take a seat on Acadia Healthcare’s board of directors as the organization pursues continued geographic and service growth (company press release: https://acadiahealthcare.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/acadia-healthcare-announces-christopher-hunter-new-chief).
The board selected Hunter following a competitive search aimed at identifying an executive capable of advancing Acadia’s market reach while maintaining its focus on clinical quality and employee engagement. Board Chair Reeve B. Waud said the directors sought a leader who could build on the company’s established management team (see Acadia senior executive team: https://www.acadiahealthcare.com/about/staff/senior-executive-team/) and execute its strategic growth plan. Hunter’s mix of operational and strategic experience in both payor and technology-adjacent roles was cited as a strong fit.
Hunter arrives with more than two decades of healthcare industry experience. Most recently he served as president of Humana’s Group, Military & Specialty segment, overseeing three business units with roughly $7 billion in revenue and about 20 million members nationwide. He previously held leadership roles at technology and insurance firms including TriZetto and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, and has served on corporate and nonprofit boards (profile: https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/potmsearch/detail/submission/6553807/Chris_Hunter). Hunter holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. For more about Hunter’s professional background, see his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishhunter.
Outgoing CEO Debbie Osteen, who led Acadia from 2018 through a period of substantial expansion, will remain on the board and has entered into a consulting arrangement to support the leadership transition. The board said Osteen’s ongoing involvement will provide continuity as Hunter assumes operational responsibilities.
Acadia Healthcare is the largest stand-alone behavioral health company in the United States, operating a national network of inpatient and outpatient facilities. As of year-end 2021 the company managed 238 behavioral health facilities with roughly 10,500 beds across 40 states and Puerto Rico. More than 22,500 employees serve approximately 70,000 patients each day across a range of settings that include psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment centers, residential programs and outpatient clinics.
Under Hunter’s leadership, Acadia is expected to continue pursuing acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic partnerships that expand capacity and access to behavioral health services. In the past year the company completed several deals, including the acquisition of a Missouri behavioral health provider, purchases of vacant facilities in Chicago and joint venture arrangements in Florida, Colorado and Minnesota.
Hunter has stated that he sees the role as an opportunity to accelerate Acadia’s mission of delivering high-quality behavioral health care to more communities, while sustaining the company’s commitment to patients and employees. Observers say his background in large-scale health operations and corporate strategy positions him to navigate reimbursement dynamics and operational integration as Acadia scales.
The leadership change comes at a time of heightened demand for behavioral health services nationwide. With a sizeable facility footprint and a broad workforce, Acadia aims to leverage Hunter’s experience to expand services and respond to growing needs across the behavioral health continuum.