KOP Insiders: Brett Cohen, CEO of Recovery Centers of America

KOP Insiders delves into the stories of the people who make King of Prussia one of Pennsylvania’s most dynamic live-work-play-stay destinations.

In depth interviews provide insight into the companies that make up our diverse business community and put a face to the individuals behind the business. In this edition, we are joined by Brett Cohen, CEO of Recovery Centers of America.

What is the mission of Recovery Centers of America?

Recovery Centers of America was founded in King of Prussia by Brian O’Neill in 2015. The company was really created to solve a major problem in our country: how care is provided for people struggling with addiction and substance use disorder.

The idea was to create safe, respectful and in many ways beautiful healing environments where people can get the care they need. The company has grown significantly over the past decade. We’ve expanded predominantly up and down the East Coast, with a bit of growth in the Midwest as well. Today, Recovery Centers of America is one of the leading providers of care in the country.

I joined the organization just under two years ago. I’ve been in healthcare services for about 30 years and have led several large, multi-site healthcare organizations. Companies like Kindred and Fresenius gave me the opportunity to take on leadership roles at scale. I was brought into RCA to help guide its transformation—from a passionate, entrepreneur-driven organization to a more professional, healthcare services–oriented company. Over the past couple of years, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.

We’ve taken all the great things the company was already doing and built on them—expanding our care, strengthening the organization and making it more durable. This has allowed us to reach more people, offer more types of care and improve the environments where that care is delivered. I’ve also had the chance to build a strong team around me. I feel really good about where we are as an organization and, most importantly, what we’re doing for our patients, our communities and our colleagues.

What are the benefits of having the corporate location in King of Prussia?

King of Prussia is a part of Pennsylvania I hadn’t really spent any time in prior to joining RCA, but it’s a beautiful area. It’s convenient to the airport, convenient to the city—it really is a hub when you think about access to other parts of the country, particularly the East Coast and the Midwest, which is great.

There’s clearly a lot of talent here. We work with many amazing people who live in the area—both people earlier in their careers, which is great, and also those with a lot of experience later in their careers in leadership roles.

RCA also has two other locations in Pennsylvania. One is in Devon and the other is more on the western side of the state, closer to Pittsburgh.

Is KOP’s geographic location seen as a selling point when it comes to attracting top talent?

Sure – You get the benefit of the population density in the Greater Philadelphia market, and you have a lot of younger professionals who are in the first or second stops in their careers. I think we offer a great opportunity for them. And because of the size and scale of the Greater Philadelphia area, there’s also an incredible number of talented, experienced leaders as well. So yes, it’s definitely an attractive marketplace for us.

I’d say we have about 80 people who are part of our corporate function. Not all of them live in the King of Prussia area, but they’re part of that core team.

Wonderful! When you come into KOP, are you going out to dinner nearby? Talk to me about your experience when you visit.

Yes, certainly. I’ve stayed at all the hotels in the area. I oftentimes—sadly—end up eating in the hotel, which is fine, but I have been to many of the restaurants in the area. There’s no shortage of great restaurants here and more seem to be opening every day.

There are also lots of places for people to socialize and to get work done. It’s a nice area overall. What’s interesting to me is how diverse King of Prussia is. You’ve got the full range—from the mall, which is near our office, to some of the more industrial parts of town. It’s kind of fascinating how all of that exists within one place.

Can you just share a bit about the future of RCA? Where you’re headed—what your vision is, and what you’re working toward?

It’s a great company. We provide great care to people, which is important to me, and important to all of us. That’s where we start.

We’re in a growth phase now and will continue to expand geographically in terms of the number of facilities we operate across the country. We’re also extending our continuum to offer different levels of care beyond what we’ve traditionally done. Historically, we’ve been very focused on inpatient care, but we’ve been building what I’ll call our outpatient muscle. That full continuum of care is important.

We’re also broadening the aperture in terms of the types of patients we care for. Historically, we’ve focused exclusively on people struggling with substance use and addiction, like we talked about. But in certain markets, we’ve started to care for people with other types of primary mental health disorders.

We’re now able to leverage our clinical model and capabilities to care for people with slightly different—but related—types of mental health illnesses.

RCA serves an important purpose. We are waking up every day thinking about how we can improve care for patients who are struggling and how we do that with really passionate, thoughtful colleagues who want to make an impact.

About Recovery Centers of America

At Recovery Centers of America, we provide evidence-based addiction treatment grounded in empathy, respect and unwavering support. Our approach meets each patient where they are in their journey, offering a complete continuum of care—from medically monitored detox to inpatient and outpatient services. What truly sets us apart is our relentless dedication to expanding access to care, tailoring treatment plans to the individual and delivering measurable results. With a focus on outcomes and a commitment to compassionate, patient-first care, we’re proving every day that recovery is not only possible—it’s achievable.

Recovery Centers of America
Corporate Headquarters:
2201 Renaissance Blvd.
King of Prussia, PA 19406

www.recoverycentersofamerica.com