Acadia Healthcare (ACHC) 8-K Acadia Healthcare Announces Proposed $300 Million Senior Unsecured Debt Offering

Exhibit 99.3

RISK FACTORS

Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider these risks. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, could negatively impact our results of operations or financial condition in the future. If any of such risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our securities could decline.

We refer to the acquisition of CRC Health Group, Inc. (“CRC”) as the “Acquisition.”

Risks Related to the Acquisition of CRC

If we are unable to successfully integrate CRC into our business following the Acquisition, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be negatively impacted.

Upon the closing of the Acquisition, we intend to integrate CRC’s business into our current business. Successful integration will depend on our ability to effect any required changes in operations or personnel which may entail unforeseen liabilities. The integration of CRC may expose us to certain risks, including the following: difficulty in integrating CRC in a cost-effective manner; difficulty or delay in the establishment of effective management information and financial control systems, as well as controls, procedures and training designed to ensure compliance with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, and other regulatory requirements to which CRC’s business is subject; unforeseen legal, regulatory, contractual, employment or other issues arising out of the combination; combining corporate cultures; maintaining employee morale and retaining key employees; potential disruptions to our on-going business caused by our senior management’s focus on integrating CRC; and performance of the combined assets not meeting our expectations or plans. The Acquisition will result in our being engaged in a new line of business in the operation of comprehensive treatment centers specializing in detoxification and recovery programs. The administration of this new line of business will require implementation of appropriate operations, management, and controls. A failure to properly integrate CRC could have a corresponding material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Our acquisition of CRC may expose us to unknown or contingent liabilities for which we will not be indemnified.

CRC and/or the facilities that we will own upon completion of the Acquisition have been and are currently subject to regulatory investigations, such as investigations by the DOJ’s Drug Enforcement Administration, including for non-compliance with certain regulatory requirements relating to the improper handling of controlled substances, and as a result may have unknown or contingent liabilities, including, but not limited to, liabilities for uncertain tax positions, for failure to comply with healthcare laws and regulations and for unresolved litigation or regulatory reviews. In addition, CRC and/or the facilities that we will own upon completion of the Acquisition have been and are from time to time, subject to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business, including claims for damages for personal injuries, wrongful death, medical malpractice, breach of contract, tort and employment related claims. In these actions, plaintiffs request a variety of damages, including, in some instances, punitive and other types of damages that may not be covered by insurance or may exceed levels of insurance coverage. These liabilities may increase our costs and harm our business. In addition, a substantial number of CRC’s patients addicted to opiates are treated with opioid substitution medications, such as methadone or suboxone. Methadone and suboxone are prescription medications and have substantial risks associated with them. CRC and/or the facilities that we will own upon completion of the Acquisition are currently subject to, and may in the future be subject to, claims arising out of illness, injury or death allegedly caused by opioid replacement therapy. If we are unable to address or manage the risks of claims alleging damages caused by opioid replacement therapy, this could have material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

We have no indemnification rights against the sellers under the Merger Agreement and all of the purchase price consideration will be paid at closing of the Acquisition. Therefore, we may incur material liabilities for the past activities of acquired entities and facilities. Such liabilities and related legal or other costs and/or resulting damage to a facility’s reputation could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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We will incur significant transaction and acquisition-related costs in connection with the Acquisition.

We will incur substantial costs in connection with the Acquisition, including approximately $17 million in transaction-related expenses. In addition, we may incur additional costs to maintain employee morale and to retain key employees, and we will incur substantial fees and costs related to formulating and executing integration plans. Although we expect that the elimination of duplicative costs, as well as the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the businesses, should allow us to more than offset incremental transaction and acquisition-related costs over time, this net benefit may not be achieved in the near term, or at all.

The pro forma financial statements are presented for illustrative purposes only and may not be an indication of the combined company’s financial condition or results of operations following the Acquisition.

The pro forma financial statements we have filed with the SEC in connection with the Acquisition are presented for illustrative purposes only and may not be an indication of the combined company’s financial condition or results of operations following the Acquisition for several reasons. For example, the pro forma financial statements have been derived from our historical financial statements and CRC’s and Partnerships in Care’s historical financial statements, and certain adjustments and assumptions have been made regarding the combined company after giving effect to the Acquisition. The information upon which these adjustments and assumptions have been made is preliminary, and these kinds of adjustments and assumptions are difficult to make with accuracy. Moreover, the actual financial condition and results of operations of the combined company following the Acquisition may not be consistent with, or evident from, these pro forma financial statements.

In addition, the assumptions used in preparing the pro forma financial data may not prove to be accurate, and other factors may affect the combined company’s financial condition or results of operations following the Acquisition. Any potential decline in the combined company’s financial condition or results of operations may cause significant variations in the trading price of the securities of the combined company.

Deficiencies in CRC’s internal controls over financial reporting could have a material adverse impact on our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements.

In 2011, a review of inconsistencies in the accounts at one of CRC’s recovery residential treatment facilities resulted in the restatement of certain previously issued consolidated financial statements. During the year ended December 31, 2012, CRC’s management completed the corrective actions to remediate the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting that gave rise to the restatement. Subsequent to the issuance of CRC’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013, CRC’s management identified errors and made corrections resulting in a restatement of CRC’s 2013, 2012 and 2011 consolidated financial statements as further described in the notes to those financial statements. CRC’s management concluded that these errors were the result of material weaknesses relating to income tax accounting and stock-based compensation, and began to implement corrective actions to remediate the material weaknesses. If we identify any material weakness in the future, their correction would require additional remedial measures which could be costly and time-consuming. In addition, the presence of a material weakness could result in a material misstatement of annual or interim consolidated financial statements which in turn could require us to restate our operating results.

We have made certain assumptions relating to the Acquisition in our forecasts that may prove to be materially inaccurate, and we may be unable to achieve the related cost savings or synergies.

We have made certain assumptions relating to the forecast level of cost savings, synergies and associated costs of the Acquisition. Our assumptions relating to the forecast level of cost savings, synergies and associated costs of the Acquisition may be inaccurate based on the information available to us, including as the result of the failure to realize the expected benefits of the Acquisition, higher than expected transaction and integration costs and unknown liabilities as well as general economic and business conditions that may adversely affect the combined company following the completion of the Acquisition. The anticipated cost savings related to the Acquisition are based upon assumptions about our ability to implement integration measures in a timely fashion and within certain cost parameters. Our ability to achieve the planned cost synergies is dependent upon a significant number of factors, some of which may be beyond our control. For example, we may be unable to eliminate duplicative costs and redundancies in a timely fashion or at all. Other factors that could cause us not to realize the expected cost savings and synergies, include but are not limited to, the following: higher than expected severance costs related to workforce reductions; higher than expected retention costs for employees that will be retained; inability to reduce or

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eliminate fees relating to professional, outside services and other redundant contracted services in a timely manner or at all; delays in the anticipated timing of activities related to our cost-saving plan including in the reduction of other general and administrative expenses; and other unexpected costs associated with operating our business. In addition, CRC was operating at a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2013 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2014, which may impact our ability to achieve synergies and profitability from the Acquisition in the near term. Actual cost savings, the costs required to realize the cost savings and the assumptions underlying the cost savings could differ materially from our current expectations, and we cannot assure you that we will achieve the full amount of cost savings on the schedule anticipated or at all.

Risks of the Combined Company Upon Completion of the Acquisition

Fluctuations in our operating results, quarter to quarter earnings and other factors may result in significant decreases in the price of our common stock.

The stock markets experience volatility that is often unrelated to operating performance. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock and, as a result, there may be significant volatility in the market price of our common stock. If we are unable to operate our facilities as profitably as we have in the past or as our investors expect us to in the future, the market price of our common stock will likely decline when it becomes apparent that the market expectations may not be realized. In addition to our operating results, many economic and seasonal factors outside of our control could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock and increase fluctuations in our quarterly earnings. These factors include certain of the risks discussed herein, demographic changes, operating results of other healthcare companies, changes in our financial estimates or recommendations of securities analysts, speculation in the press or investment community, the possible effects of war, terrorist and other hostilities, adverse weather conditions, the level of seasonal illnesses, managed care contract negotiations and terminations, changes in general conditions in the economy or the financial markets or other developments affecting the healthcare industry.

Our revenues and results of operations are significantly affected by payments received from the government and third-party payors.

A significant portion of our revenues is derived from government healthcare programs, principally Medicare and Medicaid. As of September 30, 2014, Acadia derived approximately 51% of its revenues from the Medicare and Medicaid programs and CRC derived approximately 29% of its revenue from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Government payors, such as Medicaid, generally reimburse us on a fee-for-service basis based on predetermined reimbursement rate schedules. As a result, we are limited in the amount we can record as revenue for our services from these government programs, and if we have a cost increase, we typically will not be able to recover this increase. In addition, the federal government and many state governments, are operating under significant budgetary pressures, and they may seek to reduce payments under their Medicaid programs for services such as those we provide. Government payors also tend to pay on a slower schedule. In addition to limiting the amounts they will pay for the services we provide their members, government payors may, among other things, impose prior authorization and concurrent utilization review programs that may further limit the services for which they will pay and shift patients to lower levels of care and reimbursement. Therefore, if governmental entities reduce the amounts they will pay for our services, or if they elect not to continue paying for such services altogether, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, if governmental entities slow their payment cycles further, our cash flow from operations could be negatively affected.

Commercial payors such as managed care organizations, private health insurance programs and labor unions generally reimburse us for the services rendered to insured patients based upon contractually determined rates. These commercial payors are under significant pressure to control healthcare costs. In addition to limiting the amounts they will pay for the services we provide their members, commercial payors may, among other things, impose prior authorization and concurrent utilization review programs that may further limit the services for which they will pay and shift patients to lower levels of care and reimbursement. These actions may reduce the amount of revenue we derive from commercial payors.

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Changes in these government programs in recent years have resulted in limitations on reimbursement and, in some cases, reduced levels of reimbursement for healthcare services. Payments from federal and state government healthcare programs are subject to statutory and regulatory changes, administrative rulings, interpretations and determinations, requirements for utilization review, and federal and state funding restrictions, all of which could materially increase or decrease program payments, as well as affect the cost of providing service to patients and the timing of payments to facilities. We are unable to predict the effect of recent and future policy changes on our operations. In addition, since most states operate with balanced budgets and since the Medicaid program is often a state’s largest program, some states can be expected to enact or consider enacting legislation formulated to reduce their Medicaid expenditures. Furthermore, the recent economic downturn has increased the budgetary pressures on the federal government and many state governments, which may negatively affect the availability of taxpayer funds for Medicare and Medicaid programs. If the rates paid or the scope of services covered by government payors are reduced, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition to changes in government reimbursement programs, our ability to negotiate favorable contracts with private payors, including managed care providers, significantly affects the financial condition and operating results of our facilities. Management expects third-party payors to aggressively manage reimbursement levels and cost controls. Reductions in reimbursement amounts received from third-party payors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our substantial debt could adversely affect our financial health and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our financing arrangements.

As of September 30, 2014, we had approximately $1.03 billion of total debt, which included approximately $460 million of debt under our Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility, $97.5 million (before a discount of $1.2 million) of debt under our 12.875% Senior Notes due 2018, or the 12.875% Senior Notes, $150.0 million of debt under our 6.125% Senior Notes due 2021, or the 6.125% Senior Notes, and $300 million of debt under our 5.125% Senior Notes due 2022, or the 5.125% Senior Notes, and together with the 12.875% Senior Notes, the 6.125% Senior Notes and additional senior unsecured notes we may issue from time to time, the Senior Notes, and $24.6 million (including a premium of $1.8 million) of Lee County (Florida) Industrial Development Authority Healthcare Facilities Revenue Bonds, Series 2010 with stated interest rates of 9.0% and 9.5%, or the 9.0% and 9.5% Revenue Bonds. Upon completion of the financing transactions related to the CRC Acquisition, we would have had $2.0 billion of total debt.

Our substantial debt could have important consequences to our business. For example, it could:

• increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

• make it more difficult for us to satisfy our other financial obligations;

• restrict us from making strategic acquisitions or cause us to make non-strategic divestitures;

• require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt (including scheduled repayments on our outstanding term loan borrowings under the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility), thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes;

• expose us to interest rate fluctuations because the interest on the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility is imposed at variable rates;

• make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations to our lenders, resulting in possible defaults on and acceleration of such debt;

• limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;

• place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt;

• limit our ability to borrow additional funds; and

• limit our ability to pay dividends, redeem stock or make other distributions.

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In addition, the terms of our financing arrangements contain restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our debts, including the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility and the Senior Notes.

Servicing our debt will require a significant amount of cash. Our ability to generate sufficient cash to service our debt depends on many factors beyond our control.

Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our debt, to fund planned capital expenditures and to maintain sufficient working capital will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control.

We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us under the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility or from other sources in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to allow us to make scheduled payments on our debt, we may need to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt on or before the maturity thereof, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance any of our debt on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that the terms of that debt will allow any of the above alternative measures or that these measures would satisfy our scheduled debt service obligations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to repay or refinance our debt on favorable terms, it could significantly adversely affect our financial condition and the value of our outstanding debt. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations.

We are subject to a number of restrictive covenants, which may restrict our business and financing activities.

Our financing arrangements impose, and the terms of any future debt may impose, operating and other restrictions on us. Such restrictions affect, and in many respects limit or prohibit, among other things, our and our subsidiaries’ ability to:

• incur or guarantee additional debt and issue certain preferred stock;

• pay dividends on our common stock or redeem, repurchase or retire our equity interests or subordinated debt;

• transfer or sell our assets:

• make certain payments or investments;

• make capital expenditures;

• create certain liens on assets;

• create restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other payments to us;

• engage in certain transactions with our affiliates; and

• merge or consolidate with other companies.

The Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility also requires us to meet certain financial ratios, including a fixed charge coverage ratio and a consolidated leverage ratio.

The restrictions may prevent us from taking actions that management believes would be in the best interests of our business, and may make it difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy or effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted. We also may incur future debt obligations that might subject us to additional restrictive covenants that could affect our financial and operational flexibility. Our ability to comply with these covenants in future periods will largely depend on the pricing of our products and services, our

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success at implementing cost reduction initiatives and our ability to successfully implement our overall business strategy. We cannot assure you that we will be granted waivers or amendments to our financing arrangements if for any reason we are unable to comply with our financial covenants. The breach of any of these covenants and restrictions could result in a default under the indentures governing the Senior Notes or under the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility, which could result in an acceleration of our debt.

Despite our current debt level, we may incur significant additional amounts of debt, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial debt.

We may incur substantial additional debt, including additional notes and other debt, in the future. Although the indentures governing our outstanding Senior Notes and our Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional debt, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and under certain circumstances, the amount of debt that could be incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If new debt is added to our existing debt levels, the related risks that we now face would intensify and we may not be able to meet all our debt obligations.

If we default on our obligations to pay our debt, we may not be able to make payments on our financing arrangements.

Any default under the agreements governing our debt, including a default under the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility or the indentures governing our Senior Notes, and the remedies sought by the holders of such debt, could adversely affect our ability to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Senior Notes and substantially decrease the market value of the Senior Notes. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our debt, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants, in the instruments governing our debt (including the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility and the indentures governing the Senior Notes), we would be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such debt. In the event of such default, the holders of such debt could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, the lenders under the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility could elect to terminate their commitments or cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, or we could be forced to apply all available cash flows to repay such debt, and, in any such case, we could ultimately be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. Because the indentures governing the Senior Notes and the agreement governing the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility have customary cross-default provisions, if the debt under the Senior Notes or the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or refinance the amounts due.

An incident involving one or more of our patients or the failure by one or more of our facilities to provide appropriate care could result in increased regulatory burdens, governmental investigations, negative publicity and adversely affect the trading price of our securities.

Because the patients we treat suffer from severe mental health and chemical dependency disorders, patient incidents, including deaths, assaults and elopements, occur from time to time. If one or more of our facilities experiences an adverse patient incident or is found to have failed to provide appropriate patient care, an admissions hold, loss of accreditation, license revocation or other adverse regulatory action could be taken against us. Any such patient incident or adverse regulatory action could result in governmental investigations, judgments or fines and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we have been and could become the subject of negative publicity or unfavorable media attention, whether warranted or unwarranted, that could have a significant, adverse effect on the trading price of our securities or adversely impact our reputation and how our referral sources and payors view us.

Our facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care rely on publicly funded entities in the United Kingdom for over 98% of their revenue, and the loss or reduction of such funding or changes to procurement methods could negatively impact occupancy rates which could have a corresponding material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Referrals to Partnerships in Care’s services by NHS accounted for over 98% of its revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2014. There is a risk that budget constraints, public spending cuts (such as the cuts

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announced by the United Kingdom government in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and implemented in the 2011 and 2012 government budgets) or other financial pressures could cause NHS to reduce funding for the types of services that our Partnerships in Care facilities provide. For example, in 2010, NHS announced a period of austerity and reduced spending and outsourcing of medical health treatment, which adversely affected Partnership in Care’s results from 2010 to 2012 until such austerity was relaxed. In addition, policy changes in the United Kingdom could lead to fewer of such services being purchased by publicly funded entities or material changes being made to their procurement practices, or the in-sourcing of mental health services, any of which could materially reduce the revenue of the facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care.

Our facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care may not achieve fee rate increases or may suffer fee rate decreases, which could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

The majority of fee rates that the facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care decide to set for their services are subject to annual adjustments. NHS has been under budgetary pressure since the announcement by the United Kingdom Government of the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010 imposing cuts on government spending and have, as such, reduced its spending. This resulted in Partnerships in Care being unable to implement material price increases during the last several years (which has adversely affected its results), and there can be no assurance that we will be able to implement price increases in the future. Furthermore, should the effect of any increase in the annual wages or other operating costs of the Partnerships in Care business exceed the effect of any increase in such facilities’ weekly fee rates (which are the basis of the Partnerships in Care facilities’ revenue), we would have to absorb such costs and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Expanding our operations internationally poses additional risks to our business.

Prior to the acquisition of Partnerships in Care, we were engaged in business activities in the United States and Puerto Rico. The acquisition of Partnerships in Care marked our first entry into a foreign market. Our business or financial performance may be adversely affected due to the risks of operating internationally, including but not limited to the following: economic and political instability, failure to comply with foreign laws and regulations and adverse changes in the health care policy of the United Kingdom (including decreases in funding for the services provided by Partnerships in Care), adverse changes in law and regulations affecting the operations of Partnerships in Care, difficulties and costs of staffing and managing our new operations in the United Kingdom. If any of these events were to materialize, they could lead to disruption of our business, significant expenditures and/or damages to our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

As a company based outside of the United Kingdom, we will need to take certain actions to be more easily accepted in the United Kingdom. For example, we may need to engage in a public relations campaign to emphasize service quality and company philosophy, preserve local management continuity and business practices and be transparent in our dealings with local governments and taxing authorities. Such efforts will require significant time and effort on the part of our management team. Our results of operation could suffer if these efforts are not successful.

Our acquisition strategy exposes us to a variety of operational and financial risks.

A principal element of our business strategy is to grow by acquiring other companies and assets in the behavioral healthcare industry. Growth, especially rapid growth, through acquisitions exposes us to a variety of operational and financial risks. We summarize the most significant of these risks below.

Integration risks

We must integrate our acquisitions with our existing operations. This process includes the integration of the various components of our business and of the businesses we have acquired or may do so in the future, including the following:

• additional psychiatrists, other physicians and employees who are not familiar with our operations;

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• patients who may elect to switch to another behavioral healthcare provider;

• regulatory compliance programs; and

• disparate operating, information and record keeping systems and technology platforms.

Integrating a new facility could be expensive and time consuming and could disrupt our ongoing business, negatively affect cash flow and distract management and other key personnel from day-to-day operations.

We may not be able to combine successfully the operations of recently acquired facilities with our operations, and even if such integration is accomplished, we may never realize the potential benefits of the acquisition. The integration of acquisitions with our operations requires significant attention from management, may impose substantial demands on our operations or other projects and may impose challenges on the combined business including, but not limited to, consistencies in business standards, procedures, policies, business cultures and internal controls and compliance. Certain acquisitions involve a capital outlay, and the return that we achieved on any capital invested may be less than the return that we would achieve on our other projects or investments. If we fail to complete the integration of recently acquired facilities, we may never fully realize the potential benefits of the related acquisitions.

We are in the process of integrating Partnerships in Care’s business into our current business. Successful integration depends on the ability to effect any required changes in operations or personnel, which may entail unforeseen liabilities. The integration of Partnerships in Care may expose us to certain risks, including the following: difficulty in integrating Partnerships in Care in a cost-effective manner, including the establishment of effective management information and financial control systems; unforeseen legal, regulatory, contractual, employment or other issues arising out of the combination; combining corporate cultures; maintaining employee morale and retaining key employees; potential disruptions to our on-going business caused by our senior management’s focus on integrating Partnerships in Care; and performance of the combined assets not meeting our expectations or plans. A failure to properly integrate Partnerships in Care could have a corresponding material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Benefits may not materialize

When evaluating potential acquisition targets, we identify potential synergies and cost savings that we expect to realize upon the successful completion of the acquisition and the integration of the related operations. We may, however, be unable to achieve or may otherwise never realize the expected benefits. Our ability to realize the expected benefits from potential cost savings and revenue improvement opportunities is subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, such as changes to government regulation governing or otherwise impacting the behavioral healthcare industry, reductions in reimbursement rates from third-party payors, reductions in service levels under our contracts, operating difficulties, client preferences, changes in competition and general economic or industry conditions. If we are unsuccessful in implementing these improvements or if we do not achieve our expected results, it may adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Assumptions of unknown liabilities

Facilities that we acquire, including the facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care, may have unknown or contingent liabilities, including, but not limited to, liabilities for uncertain tax positions, liabilities for failure to comply with healthcare laws and regulations and liabilities for unresolved litigation or regulatory reviews. Although we typically attempt to exclude significant liabilities from our acquisition transactions and seek indemnification from the sellers of such facilities, the purchase agreement with Partnerships in Care contained minimal representations and warranties about the entities and business that we acquired. In addition, we have no indemnification rights against the sellers under the Partnerships in Care purchase agreement and all of the purchase price consideration was paid at closing of the Partnerships in Care acquisition. Therefore, we may incur material liabilities for the past activities of acquired entities and facilities. Even in those acquisitions in which we have such rights, we may experience difficulty enforcing the sellers’ obligations, or we may incur material liabilities for the past activities of acquired facilities. Such liabilities and related legal or other costs and/or resulting damage to a facility’s reputation could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Competing for acquisitions

We face competition for acquisition candidates primarily from other for-profit healthcare companies, as well as from not-for-profit entities. Some of our competitors may have greater resources than we do. As a result, we may pay more to acquire a target business or may agree to less favorable deal terms than we would have otherwise. Our principal competitors for acquisitions have included Universal Health Services, Aurora Behavioral Health Care and private equity firms. Also, suitable acquisitions may not be accomplished due to unfavorable terms. Further, the cost of an acquisition could result in a dilutive effect on our results of operations, depending on various factors, including the amount paid for an acquired facility, the acquired facility’s results of operations, the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, effects of subsequent legislation and limits on rate increases. In addition, we may have to pay cash, incur debt, or issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition, which could adversely affect our financial results, result in dilution to our stockholders, result in increased fixed obligations or impede our ability to manage our operations.

Managing growth

Some of the facilities we have acquired or may acquire in the future may have had significantly lower operating margins prior to the time of our acquisition or may have had operating losses prior to such acquisition. If we fail to improve the operating margins of the facilities we acquire, operate such facilities profitably or effectively integrate the operations of the acquired facilities, our results of operations could be negatively impacted.

Failure to comply with the international and U.S. laws and regulations applicable to our international operations could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

We face several risks inherent in conducting business internationally, including compliance with international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations. These laws and regulations include U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other U.S. federal laws and regulations established by the Office of Foreign Asset Control, local laws such as the United Kingdom Bribery Act 2010 or other local laws which prohibit corrupt payments to governmental officials or certain payments or remunerations to customers. Given the high level of complexity of these laws, however, there is a risk that some provisions may be inadvertently breached by us, for example through fraudulent or negligent behavior of individual employees, our failure to comply with certain formal documentation requirements, or otherwise. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines, criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, implementation of compliance programs, and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations could include prohibitions on our ability to conduct business in the United Kingdom and could materially damage our reputation, our brand, our international expansion efforts, our ability to attract and retain employees, our business and our operating results. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to anticipate these risks and manage these challenges.

Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations could materially impact our consolidated financial position and results of operations.

The acquisition of Partnerships in Care expanded our operations to the United Kingdom. Accordingly, a portion of our net revenues currently is and will be derived from operations in the United Kingdom, and we intend to translate sales and other results denominated in foreign currency into U.S. dollars for our consolidated financial statements. During periods of a strengthening U.S. dollar, our reported international sales and net earnings could be reduced because foreign currencies may translate into fewer U.S. dollars.

In all jurisdictions in which we operate, we are also subject to laws and regulations that govern foreign investment, foreign trade and currency exchange transactions. These laws and regulations may limit our ability to repatriate cash as dividends or otherwise to the United States and may limit our ability to convert foreign currency cash flows into U.S. dollars.

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We incurred significant transaction and acquisition-related costs in connection with the Partnerships in Care acquisition.

We incurred substantial costs in connection with the Partnerships in Care acquisition, including approximately $16.0 million in transaction-related expenses. In addition, we may incur additional costs to maintain employee morale and to retain key employees, and we will incur substantial fees and costs related to formulating and executing integration plans. Although we expect that the elimination of duplicative costs, as well as the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the businesses, should allow us to more than offset incremental transaction and acquisition-related costs over time, this net benefit may not be achieved in the near term, or at all.

We made certain assumptions relating to the Partnerships in Care acquisition in our forecasts that may prove to be materially inaccurate.

We made certain assumptions relating to the forecast level of cost savings, growth opportunities, synergies and associated costs of the Partnerships in Care acquisition. Our assumptions relating to the forecast level of cost savings, growth opportunities, synergies and associated costs of the Partnerships in Care acquisition may be inaccurate based on the information available to us, including as the result of the failure to realize the expected benefits of the Partnerships in Care acquisition, limited growth opportunities, higher than expected transaction and integration costs and unknown liabilities as well as general economic and business conditions that may adversely affect the combined company following the Partnerships in Care acquisition. In addition, Partnerships in Care was operating at a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2013 and for the six months ended June 30, 2014, which may impact our ability to capitalize on growth opportunities, achieve synergies and profitability from the Partnerships in Care acquisition in the near term.

We are subject to taxation in certain foreign jurisdictions. Any adverse development in the tax laws of such jurisdictions or any disagreement with our tax positions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, our effective tax rate could change materially as a result of certain changes in our mix of United States and foreign earnings and other factors, including changes in tax laws.

We are subject to taxation in, and to the tax laws and regulations of, certain foreign jurisdictions as a result of our operations and our corporate and financing structure after the acquisition of Partnerships in Care. Adverse developments in these tax laws or regulations, or any change in position regarding the application, administration or interpretation thereof, in any applicable jurisdiction, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, the tax authorities in any applicable jurisdiction may disagree with the tax treatment or characterization of any of our transactions, which, if successfully challenged by such tax authorities, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Certain changes in the mix of our earnings between jurisdictions and assumptions used in the calculation of income taxes, among other factors, could have a material adverse effect on our overall effective tax rate. In addition, legislative proposals to change the United States taxation of foreign earnings could also increase our effective tax rate.

A worsening of the economic and employment conditions in the geographies in which we operate could materially affect our business and future results of operations.

During periods of high unemployment, governmental entities often experience budget deficits as a result of increased costs and lower than expected tax collections. These budget deficits at the federal, state and local levels have decreased, and may continue to decrease, spending for health and human service programs, including Medicare and Medicaid in the United States, which are significant payor sources for our facilities. In periods of high unemployment, we also face the risk of potential declines in the population covered under private insurance, patient decisions to postpone or decide against receiving behavioral healthcare services, potential increases in the uninsured and underinsured populations we serve and further difficulties in collecting patient co-payment and deductible receivables.

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Substantially all of the revenue from CRC’s weight management programs, extended care facilities and certain residential treatment facilities is derived from private-pay funding. In addition, a substantial portion of CRC’s revenue from its comprehensive treatment clinics and youth programs is from self-payors. Accordingly, a sustained downturn in the U.S. economy could restrain the ability of CRC’s patients and the families of its students to pay for services in all of CRC’s facilities.

Furthermore, the availability of liquidity and capital resources to fund the continuation and expansion of many business operations worldwide has been limited in recent years. Our ability to access the capital markets on acceptable terms may be severely restricted at a time when we would like, or need, access to those markets, which could have a negative impact on our growth plans, our flexibility to react to changing economic and business conditions and our ability to refinance existing debt (including debt under our Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility and the Senior Notes). A sustained economic downturn or other economic conditions could also adversely affect the counterparties to our agreements, including the lenders under the Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility, causing them to fail to meet their obligations to us.

If we fail to comply with extensive laws and government regulations, we could suffer penalties or be required to make significant changes to our operations.

Companies operating in the behavioral healthcare industry in the United States are required to comply with extensive and complex laws and regulations at the federal, state and local government levels relating to, among other things: billing practices and prices for services; relationships with physicians and other referral sources; necessity and quality of medical care; condition and adequacy of facilities; qualifications of medical and support personnel; confidentiality, maintenance and security issues associated with health-related information and protected health information, or PHI; the screening, stabilization and/or transfer of patients who have emergency medical conditions; handling of controlled substances; certification, licensure and accreditation of our facilities; operating policies and procedures; activities regarding competitors; state and local land use and zoning requirements; and addition or expansion of facilities and services.

Among these laws are the anti-kickback provision of the Social Security Act, or the Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal physician self-referral, or the Stark Law, the federal False Claims Act, or the False Claims Act, and similar state laws. These laws, and particularly the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, impact the relationships that we may have with physicians and other potential referral sources. We have a variety of financial relationships with physicians and other professionals who refer patients to our facilities, including employment contracts, leases and professional service agreements. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has issued certain exceptions and safe harbor regulations that outline practices that are deemed acceptable under the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute. While we endeavor to comply with applicable exceptions and safe harbors, certain of our current arrangements with physicians and other potential referral sources may not qualify for safe harbor protection. Failure to meet a safe harbor does not mean that the arrangement necessarily violates the Anti-Kickback Statute, but may subject the arrangements to greater scrutiny. We cannot offer assurances that practices that are outside of a safe harbor will not be found to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute. Allegations of violations of the Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute may be brought under the federal Civil Monetary Penalty Law, which requires a lower burden of proof than criminal violations.

These laws and regulations are extremely complex, and, in many cases, we do not have the benefit of regulatory or judicial interpretation. In the future, it is possible that different interpretations of these laws and regulations could subject our current or past practices to allegations of impropriety or illegality or could require us to make changes in our arrangements for facilities, equipment, personnel, services, capital expenditure programs and operating expenses. A determination that we have violated one or more of these laws could subject us to liabilities, including civil penalties, exclusion of one or more facilities from participation in the government healthcare programs and, for violations of certain laws and regulations, criminal penalties. Even the public announcement that we are being investigated for possible violations of these laws could cause our reputation to suffer and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we cannot predict whether other legislation or regulations at the federal or state level will be adopted, what form such legislation or regulations may take or what their impact on us may be.

The construction and operation of healthcare facilities in the United States are subject to extensive federal, state and local regulation relating to, among other things, the adequacy of medical care, equipment,

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personnel, operating policies and procedures, fire prevention, rate-setting, compliance with building codes and environmental protection. Additionally, such facilities are subject to periodic inspection by government authorities to assure their continued compliance with these various standards. If we fail to adhere to these standards, we could be subject to monetary and operational penalties.

All of our facilities that handle and dispense controlled substances must comply with especially strict federal and state regulations regarding such controlled substances. The potential for theft or diversion of such controlled substances distributed at our facilities for illegal uses has led the federal government as well as a number of states and localities to adopt stringent regulations not applicable to many other types of healthcare providers. Compliance with these regulations is expensive and these costs may increase in the future.

Property owners and local authorities have attempted, and may in the future attempt, to use or enact zoning ordinances to eliminate CRC’s ability to operate a given treatment facility or program. Local governmental authorities in some cases also have attempted to use litigation and the threat of prosecution to force the closure of certain CRC facilities. If any of these attempts were to succeed or if their frequency were to increase, our revenue would be adversely affected and our operating results might be harmed. In addition, such actions may require us to litigate which would increase our costs.

Many of our U.S. facilities are also accredited by third-party accreditation agencies such as The Joint Commission. If any of our existing healthcare facilities lose their accreditation or any of our new facilities fail to receive accreditation, such facilities could become ineligible to receive reimbursement under Medicare or Medicaid.

Federal, state and local regulations determine the capacity at which our therapeutic education programs for adolescents may be operated. State licensing standards require many of such programs to have minimum staffing levels; minimum amounts of residential space per student and adhere to other minimum standards. Local regulations require us to follow land use guidelines at many of our programs, including those pertaining to fire safety, sewer capacity and other physical plant matters.

Similarly, providers of behavioral healthcare services in the United Kingdom are also subject to a highly regulated business environment. Failure to comply with regulations, lapses in the standards of care, the receipt of poor ratings or lower ratings, the receipt of a negative report that leads to a determination of regulatory noncompliance, or the failure to cure any defect noted in an inspection report could lead to substantial penalties, including the loss of registration or closure of one or more facilities as well as damage to reputation.

If we fail to cultivate new or maintain established relationships with referral sources, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our ability to grow or even to maintain our existing level of business depends significantly on our ability to establish and maintain close working relationships with physicians, managed care companies, insurance companies, educational consultants and other referral sources. We may not be able to maintain our existing referral source relationships or develop and maintain new relationships in existing or new markets. If we lose existing relationships with our referral sources, the number of people to whom we provide services may decline, which may adversely affect our revenue. If we fail to develop new referral relationships, our growth may be restrained.

Our facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care operate in a highly regulated business environment, which is subject to political and regulatory scrutiny. Failure to comply with regulations or the introduction of new regulations or standards with which Partnerships in Care does not comply could lead to substantial penalties, including the loss of registration on one or more of our facilities.

The business of the facilities acquired from Partnerships in Care is subject to a high level of regulation and oversight, in particular from: the Care Quality Commission, or CQC, the independent regulator for health and adult social care in England; Healthcare Improvement Scotland, or HIS, the independent regulator for healthcare services in Scotland; Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, or HIW, the independent regulator of for all healthcare services in Wales; and Monitor, the non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government that serves as the sector regulator for health services in England. The regulatory requirements relevant to Partnerships in Care’s business span the range of Partnerships in Care’s operations from the establishment of new facilities, which are subject to registration requirements, to the recruitment and appointment of staff, occupational health and safety, duty of care to the people Partnerships in Care supports, administration of controlled drugs, clinical standards, conduct of Partnerships in Care’s professional and care staff and other requirements.

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Inspections by regulators can be carried out on both an announced and, in most cases, unannounced basis, depending on the specific regulatory provisions relating to the different services Partnerships in Care provides. A failure to comply with regulations in the future, the receipt of poor ratings or lower ratings, the receipt of a negative report that leads to a determination of regulatory noncompliance, or Partnerships in Care’s failure to cure any defect noted in an inspection report could result in reputational damage to Partnerships in Care, fines, or the revocation or suspension of the registration or closure of any care facility or service. Additionally, as placing authorities monitor performance, negative changes in regulatory compliance may affect the number of referrals made to Partnerships in Care. In addition, frequent changes are made to regulatory assessment methods.

We cannot guarantee that current laws, regulations and regulatory assessment methodologies will not be modified or replaced in the future. Such future developments and amendments may negatively impact Partnerships in Care’s operations which could have a material adverse effect on Partnerships in Care’s business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

Our business in the United Kingdom relies upon maintaining strong relationships with commissioners employed by publicly funded entities and any reorganization of such publicly funded entities may result in the loss of those relationships.

The relationships that the sales and marketing function of our facilities in the United Kingdom holds with commissioners is a key driver of referrals to such facilities. Should there be a major reorganization of publicly funded entities, such as the NHS reorganization announced in 2010 and implemented between 2012 and 2013, we may need to rebuild such relationships which could result in a decrease in the number of referrals made to the Partnerships in Care facilities, which could have a corresponding material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects.

We may be required to spend substantial amounts to comply with statutes and regulations relating to privacy and security of PHI.

There are currently numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom addressing patient privacy and information security concerns. In particular, federal regulations issued under HIPAA require our U.S. facilities to comply with standards to protect the privacy, security and integrity of PHI. These regulations have imposed extensive administrative requirements, technical and physical information security requirements, restrictions on the use and disclosure of PHI and related financial information and have provided patients with additional rights with respect to their health information. Compliance with these regulations requires substantial expenditures, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, our management has spent, and may spend in the future, substantial time and effort on compliance measures.

Furthermore, many states impose similar, and in some cases more restrictive, requirements. For example, some states impose laws governing the use and disclosure of health information pertaining to mental health and/or substance abuse issues that are more stringent than the rules that apply to healthcare information generally. As public attention is drawn to the issues of the privacy and security of medical information, states may revise or expand their laws concerning the use and disclosure of health information, or may adopt new laws addressing these subjects.

Violations of the privacy and security regulations could subject our operations to substantial civil monetary penalties and substantial other costs and penalties associated with a breach of data security, including criminal penalties.

We may be subject to liabilities from claims brought against us or our facilities.

We are subject to medical malpractice lawsuits and other legal actions in the ordinary course of business. Some of these actions may involve large claims, as well as significant defense costs. We cannot predict the outcome of these lawsuits or the effect that findings in such lawsuits may have on us. All professional and general liability

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insurance we purchase is subject to policy limitations and in some cases, an insurance company may defend us subject to a reservation of rights. Insurance companies in at least two matters involving Acadia are defending us subject to a reservation of rights. Management believes that, based on our past experience and actuarial estimates, our insurance coverage is adequate considering the claims arising from the operations of our facilities. While we continuously monitor our coverage, our ultimate liability for professional and general liability claims could change materially from our current estimates. If such policy limitations should be partially or fully exhausted in the future, or payments of claims exceed our estimates or are not covered by our insurance, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Further, insurance premiums have increased year over year and insurance coverage may not be available at a reasonable cost, especially given the significant increase in insurance premiums generally experienced in the healthcare industry.

We have been and could become the subject of governmental investigations, regulatory actions and whistleblower lawsuits.

Healthcare companies in both the United States and the United Kingdom are subject to numerous investigations by various governmental agencies. Certain of our facilities have received, and other facilities may receive, government inquiries from, and may be subject to investigation by, governmental agencies. Depending on whether the underlying conduct in these or future inquiries or investigations could be considered systemic, their resolution could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Further, under the federal False Claims Act, private parties are permitted to bring qui tam or “whistleblower” lawsuits against companies that submit false claims for payments to, or improperly retain overpayments from, the government. Because qui tam lawsuits are filed under seal, we could be named in one or more such lawsuits of which we are not aware.

We are subject to uncertainties regarding recent health reform and budget legislation.

The expansion of health insurance coverage in the United States under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Reconciliation Act, or, collectively, the Health Reform Legislation, may increase the number of patients using our facilities who have either private or public program coverage. In addition, a disproportionately large percentage of new Medicaid coverage is likely to be in states that currently have relatively low income eligibility requirements and may include states where we have facilities. Furthermore, as a result of the Health Reform Legislation, there may be a reduction in uninsured patients, which should reduce our expense from uncollectible accounts receivable.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Health Reform Legislation makes a number of other changes to Medicare and Medicaid which management believes may have an adverse impact on us. The various provisions in the Health Reform Legislation that directly or indirectly affect reimbursement are scheduled to take effect over a number of years. Health Reform Legislation provisions are likely to be affected by the incomplete nature of implementing regulations or expected forthcoming interpretive guidance, gradual implementation or future legislation. Further, Health Reform Legislation provisions, such as those creating the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Independent Payment Advisory Board, create certain flexibilities in how healthcare may be reimbursed by federal programs in the future. Thus, we cannot predict the impact of the Health Reform Legislation on our future reimbursement at this time.

The Health Reform Legislation also contains provisions aimed at reducing fraud and abuse in healthcare. The Health Reform Legislation amends several existing laws, including the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act, making it easier for government agencies and private plaintiffs to prevail in lawsuits brought against healthcare providers. Congress revised the intent requirement of the Anti-Kickback Statute to provide that a person is not required to have actual knowledge or specific intent to commit a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute in order to be found guilty of violating such law. The Health Reform Legislation also provides that any claims for items or services that violate the Anti-Kickback Statute are also considered false claims for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act. The Health Reform Legislation provides that a healthcare provider that knowingly retains an overpayment in excess of 60 days is subject to the federal civil False Claims Act.

The impact of the Health Reform Legislation on each of our facilities may vary. We cannot predict the impact the Health Reform Legislation may have on our business, results of operations, cash flow, capital resources and liquidity, or whether we will be able to adapt successfully to the changes required by the Health Reform Legislation.

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We are similarly unable to guarantee that current United Kingdom laws, regulations and regulatory assessment methodologies will not be modified or replaced in the future. Additionally, there is a risk that budget constraints, public spending cuts (such as the cuts announced by the United Kingdom government in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and implemented in the 2011 and 2012 government budgets) or other financial pressures could cause NHS to reduce funding for the types of services that Partnerships in Care provides. Such policy changes in the United Kingdom could lead to fewer services being purchased by publicly funded entities or material changes being made to their procurement practices, any of which could materially reduce Partnerships in Care’s revenue. These and other future developments and amendments may negatively impact our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, and competition may lead to declines in patient volumes.

The healthcare industry is highly competitive, and competition among healthcare providers (including hospitals) for patients, physicians and other healthcare professionals has intensified in recent years. There are other healthcare facilities that provide behavioral and other mental health services comparable to at least some of those offered by our facilities in each of the geographical areas in which we operate. Some of our competitors are owned by tax-supported governmental agencies or by non-profit corporations and may have certain financial advantages not available to us, including endowments, charitable contributions, tax-exempt financing and exemptions from sales, property and income taxes. Some of our for-profit competitors are local, independent operators or physician groups with strong established reputations within the surrounding communities, which may adversely affect our ability to attract a sufficiently large number of patients in markets where we compete with such providers.

If our competitors are better able to attract patients, recruit and retain physicians and other healthcare professionals, expand services or obtain favorable managed care contracts at their facilities, we may experience a decline in patient volume and our results of operations may be adversely affected.

NHS is the principal provider of secure mental healthcare services in the United Kingdom, with approximately 70% of the totals beds in the United Kingdom. As the preferred provider, there is a bias toward referrals to NHS, and therefore NHS facilities have maintained high occupancy rates. As a result of budget constraints, independent operators have emerged to satisfy the demand for mental health services not supplied by NHS. We face competition in the United Kingdom from other independent sector providers and publicly funded entities for individuals requiring care and for appropriate sites on which to develop or expand facilities in the United Kingdom. Should we fail to compete effectively with our peers and competitors in the industry, or if the competitive environment intensifies, individuals may be referred elsewhere for services that we provide, negatively impacting our ability to secure referrals and limiting the expansion of our business.

The trend by insurance companies and managed care organizations to enter into sole-source contracts may limit our ability to obtain patients.

Insurance companies and managed care organizations in the United States are entering into sole-source contracts with healthcare providers, which could limit our ability to obtain patients since we do not offer the range of services required for these contracts. Moreover, private insurers, managed care organizations and, to a lesser extent, Medicaid and Medicare, are beginning to carve-out specific services, including mental health and substance abuse services, and establish small, specialized networks of providers for such services at fixed reimbursement rates. Continued growth in the use of carve-out arrangements could materially adversely affect our business to the extent we are not selected to participate in such networks or if the reimbursement rate is not adequate to cover the cost of providing the service.

Our performance depends on our ability to recruit and retain quality psychiatrists and other physicians.

The success and competitive advantage of our facilities depends, in part, on the number and quality of the psychiatrists and other physicians on the medical staffs of our facilities and our maintenance of good relations with those medical professionals. Although we employ psychiatrists and other physicians at many of our facilities, psychiatrists and other physicians generally are not employees of our facilities, and, in a number of our markets,

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they have admitting privileges at competing hospitals providing acute or inpatient behavioral health services. Such physicians (including psychiatrists) may terminate their affiliation with us at any time or admit their patients to competing healthcare facilities or hospitals. If we are unable to attract and retain sufficient numbers of quality psychiatrists and other physicians by providing adequate support personnel and facilities that meet the needs of those psychiatrists and other physicians, they may stop referring patients to our facilities and our results of operations may decline.

It may become difficult for us to attract and retain an adequate number of psychiatrists and other physicians to practice in certain of the communities in which our facilities are located. Our failure to recruit psychiatrists and other physicians to these communities or the loss of such medical professionals in these communities could make it more difficult to attract patients to our facilities and thereby may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Additionally, our ability to recruit psychiatrists and other physicians is closely regulated. The form, amount and duration of assistance we can provide to recruited psychiatrists and other physicians is limited by the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, state anti-kickback statutes, and related regulations. For example, the Stark Law requires, among other things, that recruitment assistance can be provided only to psychiatrists and other physicians who meet certain geographic and practice relocation requirements, that the amount of assistance cannot be changed during the term of the recruitment agreement, and that the recruitment payments cannot generally benefit psychiatrists and other physicians currently in practice in the community beyond recruitment costs actually incurred by them.

Our facilities face competition for staffing that may increase our labor costs and reduce our profitability.

Our operations depend on the efforts, abilities, and experience of our management and medical support personnel, including our addiction counselors, therapists, nurses, pharmacists, licensed counselors, clinical technicians, and mental health technicians, as well as our psychiatrists and other professionals. We compete with other healthcare providers in recruiting and retaining qualified management, program directors, physicians (including psychiatrists) and support personnel responsible for the daily operations of our business, financial condition or results of operations.

A shortage of nurses, qualified addiction counselors, and other medical support personnel has been a significant operating issue facing us and other healthcare providers. This shortage may require us to enhance wages and benefits to recruit and retain nurses, qualified addiction counselors, and other medical support personnel or require us to hire more expensive temporary or contract personnel. In addition, certain of our facilities are required to maintain specified staffing levels. To the extent we cannot meet those levels, we may be required to limit the services provided by these facilities, which would have a corresponding adverse effect on our net operating revenues. Certain of our treatment facilities are located in remote geographical areas, far from population centers, which increases this risk.

We cannot predict the degree to which we will be affected by the future availability or cost of attracting and retaining talented medical support staff. If our general labor and related expenses increase, we may not be able to raise our rates correspondingly. Our failure either to recruit and retain qualified management, psychiatrists, therapists, counselors, nurses and other medical support personnel or control our labor costs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Some of our employees are represented by labor unions and any work stoppage could adversely affect our business.

Increased labor union activity could adversely affect our labor costs. As of September 30, 2014, labor unions represented approximately 422 employees at six of our U.S. facilities through eight collective bargaining agreements. With the Partnerships in Care acquisition, the Royal College of Nursing represents nursing employees at all of our facilities in the United Kingdom. As of September 30, 2014, a labor union represented employees at only one CRC facility and the facility is currently in the process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. We cannot assure you that CRC or, following the Acquisition, we, will be able to successfully negotiate a satisfactory collective bargaining agreement or that employee relations will remain stable. Furthermore, there is a possibility that work stoppages could occur as a result of union activity, which could increase our labor costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. To the extent that a greater portion of our employee base unionizes and the terms of any collective bargaining agreements are significantly different from our current compensation arrangements, it is possible that our labor costs could increase materially and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

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We depend heavily on key management personnel, and the departure of one or more of our key executives or a significant portion of our local facility management personnel could harm our business.

The expertise and efforts of our senior executives and the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, medical directors, physicians and other key members of our facility management personnel are critical to the success of our business. The loss of the services of one or more of our senior executives or of a significant portion of our facility management personnel could significantly undermine our management expertise and our ability to provide efficient, quality healthcare services at our facilities, which could harm our business.

The Partnerships in Care senior management team was important to our acquisition of Partnerships in Care. The loss of members of the Partnerships in Care management team could impact our ability to successfully integrate and operate the Partnerships in Care facilities and business.

We could face risks associated with, or arising out of, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations that:

• regulate certain activities and operations that may have environmental or health and safety effects, such as the generation, handling and disposal of medical wastes;

• impose liability for costs of cleaning up, and damages to natural resources from, past spills, waste disposals on and off-site, or other releases of hazardous materials or regulated substances; and

• regulate workplace safety.

Compliance with these laws and regulations could increase our costs of operation. Violation of these laws may subject us to significant fines, penalties or disposal costs, which could negatively impact our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. We could be responsible for the investigation and remediation of environmental conditions at currently or formerly operated or leased sites, as well as for associated liabilities, including liabilities for natural resource damages, third party property damage or personal injury resulting from lawsuits that could be brought by the government or private litigants, relating to our operations, the operations of facilities or the land on which our facilities are located. We may be subject to these liabilities regardless of whether we lease or own the facility, and regardless of whether such environmental conditions were created by us or by a prior owner or tenant, or by a third party or a neighboring facility whose operations may have affected such facility or land. That is because liability for contamination under certain environmental laws can be imposed on current or past owners or operators of a site without regard to fault. We cannot assure you that environmental conditions relating to our prior, existing or future sites or those of predecessor companies whose liabilities we may have assumed or acquired will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

State efforts to regulate the construction or expansion of healthcare facilities in the United States could impair our ability to operate and expand our operations.

A majority of the states in which we operate facilities in the United States have enacted certificate of need, or CON, laws that regulate the construction or expansion of healthcare facilities, certain capital expenditures or changes in services or bed capacity. In giving approval for these actions, these states consider the need for additional or expanded healthcare facilities or services. Our failure to obtain necessary state approval could (i) result in our inability to acquire a targeted facility, complete a desired expansion or make a desired replacement, (ii) make a facility ineligible to receive reimbursement under the Medicare or Medicaid programs or (iii) result in the revocation of a facility’s license or impose civil or criminal penalties on us, any of which could harm our business.

In addition, significant CON reforms have been proposed in a number of states that would increase the capital spending thresholds and provide exemptions of various services from review requirements. In the past, we have not experienced any material adverse effects from such requirements, but we cannot predict the impact of these changes upon our operations.

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We may be unable to extend leases at expiration, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We lease the real property on which a number of our facilities are located. Our lease agreements generally give us the right to renew or extend the term of the leases and, in certain cases, purchase the real property. These renewal and purchase rights generally are based upon either prescribed formulas or fair market value. Management expects to renew, extend or exercise purchase options with respect to our leases in the normal course of business; however, there can be no assurance that these rights will be exercised in the future or that we will be able to satisfy the conditions precedent to exercising any such renewal, extension or purchase options. Furthermore, the terms of any such options that are based on fair market value are inherently uncertain and could be unacceptable or unfavorable to us depending on the circumstances at the time of exercise. If we are not able to renew or extend our existing leases, or purchase the real property subject to such leases, at or prior to the end of the existing lease terms, or if the terms of such options are unfavorable or unacceptable to us, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

Controls designed to reduce inpatient services may reduce our revenues.

Controls imposed by Medicare, Medicaid and commercial third-party payors designed to reduce admissions and lengths of stay, commonly referred to as “utilization review,” have affected and are expected to continue to affect our facilities. Inpatient utilization, average lengths of stay and occupancy rates continue to be negatively affected by payor-required preadmission authorization and utilization review and by payor pressure to maximize outpatient and alternative healthcare delivery services for less acutely ill patients. Efforts to impose more stringent cost controls are expected to continue. For example, the Health Reform Legislation potentially expands the use of prepayment review by Medicare contractors by eliminating statutory restrictions on its use. Utilization review is also a requirement of most non-governmental managed-care organizations and other third party payors. Although we are unable to predict the effect these controls and changes will have on our operations, significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and on reimbursement rates and fees could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, the outsourcing of behavioral health care to the private sector is a relatively recent development in the United Kingdom. There has been some opposition to outsourcing. While we anticipate that NHS will continue to rely increasingly upon outsourcing, we cannot assure you that the outsourcing trend will continue. The absence of future growth in the outsourcing of behavioral healthcare services could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Although we will have facilities in 37 states, the United Kingdom and Puerto Rico following the Acquisition, we will have substantial operations in each of the United Kingdom, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, which makes us especially sensitive to regulatory, economic, environmental and competitive conditions and changes in those locations.

On a pro forma basis, giving effect to the acquisitions of Partnerships in Care and CRC, our revenues in the United Kingdom, Arkansas and Pennsylvania represented approximately 33% of our revenue for the twelve months ended September 30, 2014, as listed in the following table:

State/Country	% of Total Revenue
Arkansas		8	%
Pennsylvania		7	%
United Kingdom		18	%
Total		33	%

This concentration makes us particularly sensitive to legislative, regulatory, economic, environmental and competition changes in those locations. Any material change in the current payment programs or regulatory, economic, environmental or competitive conditions in these locations could have a disproportionate effect on our overall business results. If our facilities in these states are adversely affected by changes in regulatory and economic conditions, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

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In addition, some of our facilities are located in hurricane-prone areas. In the past, hurricanes have had a disruptive effect on the operations of facilities and the patient populations in hurricane-prone areas. Our business activities could be significantly disrupted by a particularly active hurricane season or even a single storm, and our property insurance may not be adequate to cover losses from such storms or other natural disasters.

We are required to treat patients with emergency medical conditions regardless of ability to pay.

In accordance with our internal policies and procedures, as well as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, we provide a medical screening examination to any individual who comes to one of our hospitals while in active labor and/or seeking medical treatment (whether or not such individual is eligible for insurance benefits and regardless of ability to pay) to determine if such individual has an emergency medical condition. If it is determined that such person has an emergency medical condition, we provide such further medical examination and treatment as is required to stabilize the patient’s medical condition, within the facility’s capability, or arrange for transfer of such individual to another medical facility in accordance with applicable law and the treating hospital’s written procedures. Our obligations under EMTALA may increase substantially; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recently sought stakeholder comments concerning the potential applicability of EMTALA to hospital inpatients and the responsibilities of hospitals with specialized capabilities, such as ours, to accept the transfer of such patients. If the number of indigent and charity care patients with emergency medical conditions we treat increases significantly, or if regulations expanding our obligations to inpatients under EMTALA are proposed and adopted, our results of operations may be harmed.

An increase in uninsured or underinsured patients or the deterioration in the collectability of the accounts of such patients could harm our results of operations.

Collection of receivables from third-party payors and patients is critical to our operating performance. Our primary collection risks relate to uninsured patients and the portion of the bill that is the patient’s responsibility, which primarily includes co-payments and deductibles. We estimate our provisions for doubtful accounts based on general factors such as payor source, the agings of the receivables and historical collection experience. At September 30, 2014, our allowance for doubtful accounts represented approximately 17% of our accounts receivable balance as of such date. We routinely review accounts receivable balances in conjunction with these factors and other economic conditions that might ultimately affect the collectability of the patient accounts and make adjustments to our allowances as warranted. Significant changes in business office operations, payor mix, economic conditions or trends in federal and state governmental health coverage (including implementation of the Health Reform Legislation) could affect our collection of accounts receivable, cash flow and results of operations. If we experience unexpected increases in the growth of uninsured and underinsured patients or in bad debt expenses, our results of operations will be harmed.

A cyber security incident could cause a violation of HIPAA and other privacy laws and regulations or result in a loss of confidential data.

A cyber-attack that bypasses our information technology, or IT, security systems causing an IT security breach, loss of PHI or other data subject to privacy laws, loss of proprietary business information, or a material disruption of our IT business systems, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, our future results of operations, as well as our reputation, could be adversely impacted by theft, destruction, loss, or misappropriation of PHI, other confidential data or proprietary business information.

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis, may suffer adverse regulatory consequences or violations of NASDAQ listing rules and may breach the covenants under our financing arrangements. There could also be a negative

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reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. If we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting in the future, their correction could require additional remedial measures which could be costly, time-consuming and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

As part of the Partnerships in Care acquisition, we assumed Partnerships in Care’s existing pension plans and a defined contribution plan and are responsible for an underfunded pension liability. In addition, we may be required to increase funding of the pension plans and/or be subject to restrictions on the use of excess cash.

Partnerships in Care is the sponsor of a defined benefit pension plan (the Partnerships in Care Limited Pension and Life Assurance Plan) that covers approximately 187 members in the United Kingdom, most of whom are inactive and retired former employees. As of May 1, 2005, this plan was closed to new participants but then-current participants continue to accrue benefits. As of September 30, 2014, the net deficit recognized under U.K. GAAP in respect of this scheme was £3.6 million. Although this underfunded position was considered in determining the purchase price for Partnerships in Care, it may adversely affect the combined company as follows:

• Laws and regulations normally require a new funding plan to be agreed upon every three years, with the next new funding plan to be agreed upon with the plan trustees by March 2015. Changes in actuarial assumptions, including future discount, inflation and interest rates, investment returns and mortality rates, may increase the underfunded position of the pension plan and cause the combined company to increase its contributions to the pension plan to cover underfunded liabilities.

• The pension plan is regulated in the United Kingdom, and trustees represent the interests of covered workers. Laws and regulations could create an immediate funding obligation to the pension plan which could be significantly greater than the £5 million assumed for accounting purposes as of December 31, 2013, and could impact the ability to use Partnerships in Care’s existing cash or the combined company’s future excess cash to grow the business or finance other obligations. The use of Partnerships in Care’s cash and future cash flows beyond the operation of Partnerships in Care’s business or the satisfaction of Partnerships in Care’s obligations would require negotiations with the trustees and regulators.

We also assumed an additional pension plan (the Federated Pension Plan), of which fewer than five Partnerships in Care employees are participants, and a defined contribution plan (the Partnerships in Care Limited New Generation Personal Pension) under which participants receive contributions as a proportion of earnings. Maintenance of these plans may result in additional expenses. Termination of these plans could have an adverse impact on employee relations and a material adverse effect on our financial results.

We are party to a stockholders agreement with Waud Capital Partners and, subsequent to the Acquisition, with Bain Capital, which provides them with certain rights over Company matters.

As of September 30, 2014, Waud Capital Partners owned approximately 19.7% of our outstanding common stock. In accordance with the terms of the Existing Stockholders Agreement among Waud Capital Partners, Acadia and certain current and former members of our management, for so long as Waud Capital Partners owns at least 17.5% of our outstanding common stock, it is entitled to designate the pro rata number of our directors that is proportional (but rounded up to the nearest whole number) to its percentage ownership of our outstanding common stock, subject to the NASDAQ rules regarding director independence, and has consent rights to many corporate actions, such as issuing equity or debt securities, paying dividends, acquiring any interest in another company and materially changing our business activities. The rights of Waud Capital Partners under the Existing Stockholders Agreement will no longer apply following the completion of the Acquisition and the effectiveness of the New Stockholders Agreement.

The New Stockholders Agreement, which we entered into in connection with the CRC merger, generally grants Waud Capital Partners the right to designate, following the expiration of the current term of directors designated by Waud Capital Partners, one nominee for election to the board of directors of the Company for one additional three-year term. Waud Capital Partners also retains a consent right over the removal of existing directors designated by Waud Capital Partners and any vacancies in such designated board seats may be filled by Waud Capital Partners prior to the expiration of the current terms of such directors. The Merger Agreement provides that one designee of Bain Capital be appointed to the Company’s board of directors as a Class III director at the effective time of the merger.

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It is possible that the interests of Waud Capital Partners and Bain Capital may in some circumstances conflict with our interests and the interests of our stockholders.

We incur substantial costs as a result of being a public company.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We incur costs associated with complying with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Sarbanes-Oxley, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, and related rules implemented by the SEC and NASDAQ. Enacted in July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act contains significant corporate governance and executive compensation-related provisions, some of which the SEC has recently implemented by adopting additional rules and regulations in areas such as executive compensation. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. Management expects these laws and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time consuming and costly, although management is currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. These laws and regulations could make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

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