Founder Ryan Chapman has merged two of his Nashville-based health companies.
Integrative Life Network LLC and Integrative Health Centers Inc. have transitioned into Peregrine Health Inc., a combined mental and behavioral health company with Chapman as CEO.
“That’s what I’ve been working on for all of 2023 pretty much,” Chapman said. “We’ve done a lot of the hard work to help us really operate and grow at Peregrine Health in 2024 and beyond.”
Integrative Life Network is a residential, partial-hospitalization and intensive outpatient program that provides high-acuity treatment options for a range of mental and behaviors health disorders, which is currently in four states. Integrative Health Centers is a nationwide telemedicine platform in 20 states connecting clinics, hospitals and health systems in underserved communities with specialized mental and behavioral health providers.
A $7 million round a series A funding led by BIP Ventures will be used to invest in the operations and support the integration of the two businesses. Other contributors include Martin Ventures, Chapman Capital and FCA Venture partners, which previously held ownership the in the two separate companies.
Why it matters
The pandemic shone a light on the nation’s mental health crisis, with 22.8% of U.S. adults experiencing a mental illness in 2021, according to the National Alliance on Mental Health.
Nashville's health care leaders have spoken publicly about how the health and wellbeing of residents directly impacts the local economy and business world.
“Employers care about employee productivity. Mental health and substance-use challenges are a huge impact to employee productivity,” said Chapman, who struggled with substance use as a teen and his mental health as an adult. “As an employer, I care about my employees being healthy and engaged."
Chapman said both companies, which he started in 2018, were startup in nature and the problems they were trying to solve were very different during that time.
“As they grew, as they developed, as they matured over the years, we began to see the dots of the overlap and we began to see the potential of how they were all doing their part of solving a very large problem that is near and dear to my heart,” Chapman said. “We said, 'Hey, both of these have matured enough to where we can make a bigger impact, we can do more, we can have a larger voice and a larger infrastructure if we combine these two organizations.'”
The combined company will create a national platform to support individuals working through mental and behavioral health disorders by providing a continuum of telehealth, outpatient and residential services.
No jobs were eliminated in the process of merging the companies, according to Chapman. In fact, the now combined company is in the midst of growth.
“The goal is to continue to cover the map and really create these ecosystems where people can access all of those levels of care in their community or within a reasonable drive from where they are at,” Chapman said. “Our hope is that we can bring first class cutting edge, highest quality behavioral and mental health to the masses no matter your resources and meeting you where you are. Then transition you and continuing to hold your hands to the next level of care that you need.”
