NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN JOSE, April 11, 2022 — Bay Area Clinical Associates (BACA), a leading mental health provider for children, adolescents, and young adults, has entered into a partnership with Frontline Healthcare Partners (Frontline), a private investment firm focused on provider-based organizations looking to increase access to ethical, evidence-based care. Since 2007, BACA has been on a mission to destigmatize mental health care and provide youth with access to integrated and affordable care.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth under 24 years old. Even beyond this are millions of young people suffering and falling short of their potential. We have a responsibility to respond to this public health crisis and the time is now. We must create more access for youth and their families, and take better care of our clinicians and staff in order for them to maximize their impact for our patients,” said Tom Tarshis MD, MPH, founder and CEO of BACA. “Our partnership with Frontline will accelerate our next phase of growth as we look to expand our geographic reach and our continuum of services nationwide in order to serve more patients and their families.”
BACA currently has over 80 youth-focused clinicians, including 35 child and adolescent psychiatrists, one of the largest groups on the West Coast, dedicated to working in a multidisciplinary team approach to care for children, adolescents, young adults, and their families.
“When I became a physician, I swore to protect and provide the best care possible for my patients and that oath guides every decision I make as the CEO of BACA,” said Dr. Tarshis. “I am excited to see more recognition of the importance of mental health treatment, but we still have a lot of work to do. Early intervention is critical, so providing services when symptoms first arise gives young people the chance to have healthier and more fulfilling lives.”
“Our partnership with Frontline will accelerate our next phase of growth as we look to expand our geographic reach and our continuum of services nationwide in order to serve more patients and their families”
— Tom Tarshis MD, MPH, Founder and CEO of BACA
Given that psychotherapy treatments are almost always included in the best treatment for mental illnesses in youth, all BACA clinicians, including psychiatrists, perform individual, group, or family therapy treatments. Tarshis continues, “We are also committed to reducing over-prescription of medicine, recognizing that the gold standard for care always includes psychotherapies. We have worked hard to create a model that doesn’t force our psychiatrists to spend their days dedicated to writing prescriptions. We’ve coupled evidence-based care with sophisticated information technology that allows us to connect with our patients in personalized ways that increase access to care, with tailored electronic health records that tracks outcomes and iteratively facilitates improved treatment in real-time.”
“We are thrilled to partner with BACA and admire its unique clinical model in bringing much needed care to youth,” said Dennis Smith, partner at Frontline. “We look forward to the opportunity to expand services nationwide and continue to support infrastructural needs to nourish an optimal work environment for clinicians and staff.”
For more information or to get in contact with a Bay Area Clinical Associates representative in your region, contact info@baca.org.
About Bay Area Clinical Associates
Bay Area Clinical Associates (BACA) is building the new standard in evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and in-network mental healthcare for children and young adults. We’re an organization grounded around our clinical quality and care delivery, a culture that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a community-first workplace. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and with clinics across California, BACA has plans to grow thoughtfully and become a nationally recognized provider and leader in youth mental healthcare.
