When one door closes another opens

H.O.P.E. Group Names New CEO and Forms Partnership to Provide Outpatient Treatment for Children and Teens with Severe Behavioral Disorders

October 1, 2014, Phoenix, AZ—H.O.P.E. Group has named Bryan Davey, Ph.D., BCBA-D as its new Chief Executive Officer in a move that will greatly expand services for children with disabilities in the state of Arizona.

“Until now, children with extremely challenging behavioral issues have been sent out of state for treatment because few in Arizona were equipped to meet their needs,” says H.O.P.E. Group Chairman and founder Lori Cairns. “It costs huge amounts of money and the separation breaks families’ hearts.” Experts estimate that out-of-state treatment for severe behavioral issues costs approximately $200,000 per year, per child.

Now through a strategic partnership between H.O.P.E. Group and his own company, Highland Behavioral, Dr. Davey will establish outpatient behavioral health services to provide treatment for complex cases right here in Arizona, including children who self-injure or have severe aggression.

“Families who are impacted by behavioral disorders need effective evidence-based services and training,” Dr. Davey says. “They need to know what to do when their child becomes dangerous beyond control, or when their child transitions out of the hospital and back into the home environment. H.O.P.E. Group together with Highland Behavioral is the first provider in Arizona to meet that need. We use the same methods as the nation’s best residential and in-patient treatment centers. And we’ll be training Arizona based BCBAs [Board Certified Behavior Analysts] in this regard.”

Founded in 1997, H.O.P.E. Group provides in-home care and support for more than 700 individuals with autism and related disorders. In addition to in-home care and support, H.O.P.E. Group’s services include early intensive behavior treatment, comprehensive and focused ABA treatments, as well as community empowerment and transition.

Highland Behavioral consults with providers, states, and employers on issues related to healthcare benefits, autism, and Applied Behavior Analytic (ABA) services—the only treatment method recognized as effective for those with autism. The company also provides direct clinical services to families and school districts.

Dr. Davey is a member of several national and state boards and a nationally recognized autism and developmental disorders specialist. His expertise includes training personnel in the application of behavioral principles and procedures, behavioral assessments, intervention strategies, and autism insurance laws and benefits.

“Bryan Davey is the ideal person to oversee H.O.P.E. Group’s clinical services and train local behavior analysts in effective therapies for children with developmental disabilities,” Cairns says. “He has an unparalleled reputation in the field. Working together, we’ll be able to provide exactly what families in Arizona need, right now.”

Dr. Davey’s appointment at H.O.P.E. Group’s coincides with the opening of a new H.O.P.E. Group office in Tucson, to better serve families in southern Arizona. Former H.O.P.E. Group CEO Ann Monahan will transition to become the company’s Vice President of State and Governmental Affairs, and also assumes a new role as CEO of Ensure Billing, Inc.—a sister company that facilitates claims and payments for both private insurance and Medicaid-based services in 17 states across the country.