Sweetser has become Maine’s largest Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic provider following its merger with Lewiston-based Common Ties Mental Health Services, a move officials say will protect access to care for hundreds of Mainers.
Common Ties, which served the Lewiston area for more than 40 years, merged with Sweetser after facing ongoing pressures affecting behavioral health nonprofits statewide, including rising costs, funding uncertainty and workforce shortages.
Justin Chenette, Sweetser’s chief communications officer, said the merger was driven by the need to preserve services for about 300 people who relied on Common Ties for mental health support.
“Sweetser wasn’t going to let them go under,” Chenette said, noting the organization’s goal was to ensure clients in the Lewiston area did not lose access to treatment.
The merger expands Sweetser’s role as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or CCBHC, a model designed to provide more coordinated mental health and substance use treatment services. Sweetser has supported this approach through its Hope & Healing Centers, including its walk-in care center in Lewiston.
Sweetser officials said there has been no disruption in care for former Common Ties clients. Individuals have continued working with the same providers and case managers, and nearly all Common Ties staff were retained.
The organization also offered roles to the full Common Ties team. Staff who joined Sweetser will have access to additional professional development opportunities through the organization’s Training Institute.
For clients, the merger provides access to a broader continuum of services backed by the resources of a larger organization. Leaders said the goal is to strengthen care coordination while maintaining existing relationships between clients and their care teams.
The transition comes as Maine’s behavioral health system faces increasing strain. Smaller nonprofits are navigating operational challenges, uncertain funding and growing competition for a limited workforce. Chenette said those pressures may lead more community-based organizations to consider partnerships with larger providers.
Sweetser said the merger offers one path forward for preserving local services while giving smaller programs the support needed to continue their missions.
The organization’s nearly 200-year history has been shaped by adapting to the evolving mental health needs of Maine families. Leaders said the Common Ties merger reflects that same approach, particularly in the Lewiston area, where Sweetser opened its Hope & Healing Center in response to community demand.
Sweetser said the merger ensures hundreds of people in Lewiston will continue receiving essential care without interruption.
More information about walk-in care services at Sweetser’s Lewiston Hope & Healing Center is available at LewistonHealing.org.
This article is sponsored by Therapeutic Intensive Home Grant.