Vaya Health and Partners Health Management have received approval from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to consolidate into a single local management entity/managed care organization. The merger will be effective October 1, 2026, and the new organization will operate under the name Vaya Partners, becoming North Carolina’s largest publicly governed behavioral health entity.
The combined organization will serve more than 222,000 members across 47 counties, delivering integrated care for mental health, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. Vaya currently serves a 32-county region, while Partners covers 15 counties.
Tracy Hayes, current CEO of Vaya Health, will serve as Area Director and CEO of Vaya Partners. Libby McCraw, CEO of Partners Health Management, will become Senior Deputy CEO, and Rachel Porter will continue as Deputy CEO. The merger ensures no immediate changes to member benefits, provider contracts or services. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
According to data captured in the LevinPro HC database, this transaction marks the sixth Managed Care acquisition of the year. Other acquirers in the space this year include Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas City (acquired Highmark, Inc.), Gyde (acquired Avid Health), Principal Financial Group (acquired DentaNet), Madison Health Group (acquired Magellan Health) and Mass General Brigham Health Plan (acquired Fallon Health). There were 27 Managed Care deals announced in both 2025 and 2024.
