When psychiatrist Ronald I. Dozoretz, M.D. founded First Hospital Corporation (FHC), now known as FHC Health Systems, in 1983, his vision was simple: to provide high quality, accessible behavioral health care in privately owned psychiatric hospitals and outpatient settings. Our strong clinical background propels each of the FHC entities to fulfill this vision in the broad arena of human services.

FHC Health Systems created Alternative Behavioral Services (ABS) to answer an evolution in the behavioral health care marketplace. ABS provides innovative wraparound programs in both community-based and residential settings. Our specialized programs enable ABS staff to effectively meet the needs of most referrals. Well-trained, highly qualified staff for the juvenile justice, child welfare, mental health, and educational arenas design, operate, and deliver effective interventions. ABS is committed to assisting children, adolescents, adults, and their families overcome behavioral health challenges and enjoy more functional successful lives.

ABS, although incorporated in 1994, actually started at Portsmouth Psychiatric Center in August 1986 when Lenard J. Lexier, M.D., Edward C. Irby, and John A. Hunter, Ph.D. began a residential treatment program for juvenile sex offenders. In October of that same year, under the leadership of Dr. Ronald Dozoretz, we purchased a 30-acre site, where services were expanded to include a program for Adolescent Male Insight (AMI) youth. This facility, known as The Pines Residential Treatment Center, has emerged as one of the largest and strongest treatment organizations for behaviorally disordered youth and sex offenders and currently is licensed for 476 beds.

Through our experience working with children, youth, and their families at The Pines, we became acutely aware of the many gaps in the service delivery system for seriously mentally ill adults and severely emotionally disturbed children. Equipped with our successful treatment experience as a solid foundation and a commitment to providing youth and families access to all levels of care, ABS has expanded to offer a vast array of services and programs. Over the past 20 years, our services have encompassed almost every facet of behavioral care, from community-based and in-home services to residential and acute hospitalization, including group homes, independent living programs, parole services, and youth academics and specialized therapeutic foster care.

Although divided into strategic entities, ABS' corporate integration allows affiliates to draw on the collective expertise and experience to deliver better quality and more comprehensive programs across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. ABS can develop new programs or replicate our existing services across the country. Our entities include:

• Crawford First Education, Inc.
• FHC Chattanooga
• FHC Hopkinsville
• First Home Care Corporation
• Panamericano
• The Pines Residential Treatment Center - Virginia
• The Pines Residential Treatment Center - Charleston
• The Pines Residential Treatment Center - Midlands
• Virgin Islands Behavioral Services
• Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center

Our national presence and active learning environment keep us at the forefront of a rapidly evolving behavioral health care environment, and we are continually search for new opportunities to expand current programming, create new ones, and employ some of the most highly qualified and respected professionals in the behavioral health field.