How North Star Recovery Became a Trusted Voice in Utah’s Behavioral Health Crisis
Utah’s behavioral health system is buckling. Waitlists run months long, the state’s largest for-profit psychiatric hospital closed in 2024, and roughly half of Utah adults report unmet needs for mental health treatment. North Star Recovery & Wellness, founded by investor Jay Tobey, set out to close that gap with a $150 million plan to expand inpatient and outpatient care along the Wasatch Front. But that plan relies on the trust of investors, acquisition targets, clinical partners, and the community. North Star was still an unknown name outside its own industry.
Over six months, XL PR built a media relations program on two tracks. The first put Tobey inside active news cycles where a private-sector voice was missing entirely: AI chatbots posing as therapists, Utah’s winter mental health surge, and the case for impact investing in behavioral health. The second told the human story through North Star Hope Foundation’s community work, including the holiday clothing drive and the “Furnishing Futures” program, following real families from need to move-in day.
The partnership ended in April. The coverage didn’t.
Results
- 17 media placements during the six-month partnership, and 7 more in the four months after it ended — 24 total
- Over 1 billion UVM in combined audience reach
- National and Utah outlets including Fox News, Yahoo Life, MSN, Axios Salt Lake City, KSL, Deseret News, FOX 13, KUTV, and Utah Business
- Coverage in every format — print, broadcast, radio, digital, newsletter, and podcast
- Jay Tobey established as an expert source on AI in mental health, treatment access, and impact investing, including a national Fox News feature
- “Furnishing Futures” covered in 5 consecutive placements, including KUTV’s Pay It Forward segment
- Guest speaking placement at the Promise2Live Silicon Slopes Mental Health Town Hall
Relationships built during the partnership continued to produce coverage four months after the contract ended.
