Manatee Glens signs national affiliation letter

BRADENTON — One of the most prominent mental health facilities on the Gulf Coast, Manatee Glens, will partner with a Tennessee-based industry leader in a deal that creates a nearly $200 million health care organization.

Manatee Glens, according to a release, signed a letter of intent to affiliate with Nashville-based Centerstone, one of the largest nonprofit providers of behavioral healthcare in the country. The letter of intent allows Centerstone and Manatee Glens to complete due diligence and finalize an affiliation agreement. The affiliation, the statement says, could become effective Jan. 1, pending legal and regulatory reviews.

Manatee Glens serves 16,000 clients a year in a variety of services, from trauma to addictions to psychiatric illnesses and emotional disorders. It would change its name to Centerstone of Florida under the proposed affiliation. It would also retain its local board of governance, and Manatee Glens President and CEO Mary Ruiz will continue to run the organization.