Preferred Family Healthcare cuts ribbon on Kirksville building addition 

Preferred Family Healthcare Vice Presidents of Integrated Health Services Vince Winn and Kathy Hoppe, President Michael Schwend, Brightli North/Central Regional President Mat Gass, Brightli North/Central Regional Chief Operating Officer Megan Steen, Brightli Chief Human Resources Officer Stacey Hudson and Brightli Chief Strategy Officer Andrew Schwend.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (June 13, 2025) 
Contact: Rance Burger, director of media relations for Brightli 
rance.burger@burrellcenter.com; call/text (573) 286-9393 

 

KIRKSVILLE — Preferred Family Healthcare celebrated the opening of a 12,350-square foot addition to its clinic at 900 E LaHarpe St. In Kirksville with a ceremonial ribbon cutting Friday, June 13. 

The $6.8 million project was built through a 50/50 cost share project agreement between Preferred Family Healthcare (PFH) parent company Brightli and the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Preferred Family Healthcare employs about 150 full-time team members at the LaHarpe clinic in Kirksville. 

Preferred Family Healthcare has grown steadily since it was founded in 1979. Preferred Family Healthcare expanded to nearly 100 locations and is powered by close to 1,200 team members. In Kirksville, 264 team members work for PFH, and 150 team members work full-time on the LaHarpe campus. 

“Through all of this advancement, one thing has not changed, and that’s our unwavering commitment to mental health and to the Kirksville community,” Brightli Chief Human Resources Officer Stacey Hudson said. “No matter the tools we use, no matter the trends we adapt to, the heart of what we do has remained the same.” 

PFH President Michael Schwend says the clinic in Kirksville will meet a rising need for mental health services as the stigma surrounding behavioral health care softens. 

“We know that our country is facing a mental health crisis — one that has affected every community in some way,” Schwend said. “The work being done here and the facilities supporting it are making a real impact. This work doesn’t just change lives, it saves them.”  

According to the Missouri Foundation for Health, Missouri ranks 12th in the need for mental health services but 31st in access to such services among the 50 states. Expanded access to behavioral health care means more people served and carries the potential to save Missouri billions of dollars per year in hospital, law enforcement and other community resource costs.

The Kirksville clinic will host outpatient therapy, psychiatry, primary medical care and a pharmacy — all under the same roof, creating an opportunity for clients to seek “whole person” health care. Preferred Family Healthcare’s youth services include school-based prevention, intervention and resources initiatives, addiction recovery, behavioral health, integrated health, primary care, therapy and counseling. 

Preferred Family Healthcare will add two types of therapy used for clients with treatment-resistant depression. Esketamine is a medication that requires clients to undergo observation upon receiving a dose, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a practice that uses non-invasive brain stimulation to treat depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and other behavioral health conditions. 

About Preferred Family Healthcare: For nearly 40 years, Preferred Family Healthcare has stayed committed to improving the health and wellness of the communities we serve by offering a full continuum of integrated health services. PFH has locations throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma. PFH strives to serve the whole person by focusing on emotional and physical health and wellness, as well as addressing needs that may present barriers to success. Learn more at http://www.pfh.org.