What JBS International does

JBS International is a U.S. federal health consultancy that delivers technical assistance, training, program evaluation, and consulting services to federal agencies and their grantees. Its primary customers are the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with downstream reach into state health departments, rural healthcare providers, pediatric and perinatal programs, and community-based organizations. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celerian Group and is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland, with an additional office in San Mateo, California.

JBS's service portfolio is organized around long-running cooperative agreements rather than discrete software products. The flagship offering is RCORP-TA, an HRSA-funded technical assistance program supporting the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program across 1,800+ rural counties in 47 states and 700+ grantees. The NIDAMED project, in continuous operation since 2004 with NIDA, produces resources such as the "Words Matter" language guide and supports National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week. The State Program Improvement Technical Assistance Project supports SAMHSA-funded mental health and substance use treatment organizations, and the Maternal and Child Health Tele-Behavioral Health Programs TA Innovation Center serves HRSA's PMHCA and MMHSUD/MDRBD programs. In December 2025, JBS launched an AI/ML chatbot platform with claimed 100% response accuracy that integrates with Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, and federal systems.

Revenue is generated exclusively through professional services contracts and cooperative agreements awarded via federal procurement, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales into federal health agencies, supported by content marketing (blog, social media, email campaigns reaching 87,000+ clinicians) and participation in national public health observances. The company employs 251-500 staff with no disclosed revenue figures, and historical growth has been primarily organic, supplemented by the 2008 acquisition of The Stellar Corporation. Co-founders Bharat Rathi and Gail Bassin established the firm, with Jerri Shaw serving as President and Co-CEO.

Name

JBS International

Legal name

JBS International, Inc.

Website

https://jbsinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

JBS International is a U.S. federal health consultancy that delivers technical assistance, training, and program evaluation to agencies such as HRSA, SAMHSA, NIDA, and CDC on substance use, behavioral health, rural health, and maternal and child health initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Consulting Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development & Training Grants (Public Health) (HLAJALAM)

Keywords

• Public health consulting
• Federal technical assistance
• Behavioral health services
• Substance use disorder programs
• Government health contracts

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Technical Assistance Contracts: JBS International generates revenue primarily through federal government contracts and cooperative agreements with agencies such as HRSA, SAMHSA, NIDA, and CDC. These contracts involve delivering technical assistance, training, program evaluation, and consulting services to support public health initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JBS International is a government contractor that delivers technical assistance, training, program evaluation, health communications, and consulting services to federal health agencies (HRSA, SAMHSA, NIDA, CDC) and their state, tribal, and community grantees. Its portfolio centers on behavioral health, substance use disorders, rural health, and maternal and child health, supplemented by AI/ML chatbot solutions for government knowledge delivery.

Product overview

JBS International is a consulting and technical assistance company (A Celerian Group Company) that delivers solutions advancing health, safety, and well-being in communities. Rather than a single product, they offer a portfolio of technical assistance programs and services focused on behavioral health, child welfare, rural health, and maternal/child health. Key offerings include: RCORP-TA providing opioid response technical assistance to rural communities; NIDAMED supporting healthcare professionals with substance use disorder resources; the Maternal and Child Health Tele-Behavioral Health TA Innovation Center; and the State TA Project for SAMHSA-funded organizations. The company also develops AI-powered solutions including chatbots for government clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RCORP-TA (Rural Communities Opioid Response Program - Technical Assistance) Cooperative agreement with HRSA providing training, learning collaboratives, webinars, guidance documents, and technical assistance to rural communities implementing and sustaining opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Targets rural healthcare organizations, State Offices of Rural Health, and community-based grantees in 1,800+ rural counties across 47 states.
• NIDAMED NIDA's translational research initiative that supports healthcare professionals in addressing substance use disorders through practical, evidence-based information and resources. Includes the 'Words Matter' language guide and National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week programming. Audience is practicing health care professionals treating substance use disorders.
• Maternal and Child Health Tele-Behavioral Health Programs TA Innovation Center Provides comprehensive, customized technical assistance to support implementation and success of Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) and Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Behavioral Disorders (MDRBD) programs, including psychiatric teleconsultation. Serves state pediatric and perinatal primary care programs integrating behavioral health.
• State Program Improvement Technical Assistance (State TA) Project Delivers technical assistance efforts for organizations receiving SAMHSA funding through their state to provide mental health and substance use treatment services, tailoring TA needs and plans to each state's unique circumstances. Targets SAMHSA-funded state and community behavioral health organizations.
• AI/ML Chatbot with 100% Response Accuracy AI/ML-based chatbot that delivers 100% response accuracy, enables self-service correct answers without generative AI hallucinations, is easy to retrain, and provides 24/7 access to accurate information. Integrates with Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, and other federal systems. Built for government clients needing reliable, always-on knowledge delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ technical assistance requests responded to
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018JBS supports HRSA's Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) delivering technical assistance to rural communities for treatment and prevention of substance use disorder including opioid use disorder. Since 2018, JBS has responded to over 8,000 TA requests and served more than 1,800 rural counties in 47 states.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJBS collaborates with NIDA on the NIDAMED project - a translational research initiative supporting health care professionals in addressing substance use disorders. JBS has worked with NIDA since 2004. Together they developed the 'Words Matter' language guide for healthcare providers.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJBS delivers the State Program Improvement Technical Assistance (State TA) project supporting organizations receiving SAMHSA funding through states to provide mental health and substance use treatment services.
• National Association of School NursesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJBS partnered with the National Association of School Nurses to revamp the Naloxone Education for School Nurses toolkit, including presentations and trainings for school staff on naloxone and opioid overdose response.
• HRSA Maternal and Child Health BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJBS launched the Maternal and Child Health Tele-Behavioral Health Programs Technical Assistance Innovation Center through a contract with HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau to support PMHCA and MMHSUD programs.
• ASAP of AndersonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJBS partners with community organizations like ASAP of Anderson in Eastern Tennessee to share best practices along a continuum of prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ICF International: Publicly traded global consulting and digital services firm with a large federal health practice serving HHS, HRSA, SAMHSA, and CDC on TA, evaluation, and health communications — directly overlapping with JBS's federal health TA portfolio.
• Abt Associates: Mission-driven research and consulting firm executing federal contracts in public health, behavioral health, and social programs — directly comparable to JBS in HRSA/SAMHSA-style TA and evaluation work.
• Westat: Employee-owned research firm providing statistical, evaluation, and technical assistance services to HHS, SAMHSA, HRSA, and CDC — overlapping with JBS on federal health TA and program evaluation contracts.
• RTI International: Nonprofit research institute delivering behavioral health, substance use, and public health research and TA under federal contracts — directly comparable to JBS's federal health research/TA delivery model.
• Altarum: Nonprofit health systems consultancy serving federal and state clients on behavioral health, population health, and health IT — comparable in size and federal health TA focus to JBS.
• Mathematica: Nonprofit research and evaluation firm with deep HHS portfolio across behavioral health, maternal/child health, and rural health — directly comparable to JBS's evaluation and TA work for HRSA/SAMHSA.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research organization delivering federal health surveys, evaluations, and TA — comparable to JBS in academic-affiliated, federally focused public health research and TA delivery.
• Leavitt Partners: Health-focused consulting firm advising federal and state clients on behavioral health, Medicaid, and population health policy — overlapping with JBS's state health department and HRSA-facing advisory work.

Broad incumbents

• Booz Allen Hamilton: Large diversified federal contractor with a sizable HHS public-health practice providing TA, analytics, and digital services — a much larger incumbent that competes with JBS on HRSA and SAMHSA opportunities.
• Deloitte (Government & Public Services): Big Four advisory firm with a large federal health practice serving HHS on TA, transformation, and analytics — competes with JBS on larger, more complex HRSA/SAMHSA opportunities as a broader incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jbs_inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/jbsinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jbs-international-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JBS International