Resilience Lab announced Thursday that it has taken another step toward its goal of improving access to high-quality mental healthcare for Americans, with an expansion that puts it within reach of about 10% of the U.S. population.
The mental health tech company—which has a platform that helps people match up with therapist that fits their needs—has expanded across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This expansion marks a key step toward making high-quality, affordable mental healthcare available to a potential population of 33 million, according to the New York City-based company. Tri-state residents who are United Healthcare and Humana members will be able to access this care in-network, the organization said.
Access to mental health services varies greatly from one state to the next, as research by organizations like the nonprofit Mental Health America show. Disparities and barriers to mental healthcare, including cost, lack of insurance and therapist shortage, have been laid bare by the pandemic, which has contributed to a rise in depression, anxiety and other behavioral health concerns.
The gaps in mental health offerings by state are also difficult for national companies to overcome, given the widely variable state licensure requirements. Restrictions keep psychiatrists and psychologists licensed in one state from providing virtual care or teletherapy to a person living in another state.
“Resilience Lab is on a mission to remove barriers that keep millions of Americans from getting the mental health support they need,” said Christine Carville, co-founder and chief clinical officer of Resilience Lab, in a statement. “Our expansion efforts aim to make high-quality therapy and measurement-based care affordable and accessible whether a patient is in- or out-of-network, or not insured at all.”
The company has 130 New York-based clinicians, and is now hiring therapists in New Jersey and Connecticut. Resilience Lab, which supports collaboration between therapists to improve outcomes and access, is ultimately aiming to scale across the U.S. to help ease the therapist shortage.
As the need has increased, greater attention and resources have been focused on mental health. Venture funding for mental health startups has reached record levels during the pandemic, according to data from CB Insights, and many different companies are seeking to fill in gaps in behavioral healthcare. That includes firms like Lyra, which provides workforce mental healthcare; Wellpath, a company delivering medical and mental health services in challenging settings, from inpatient facilities to prisons; and Minded, which is focused on improving access to mental health medications.
Resilience Lab’s growth efforts are being led by Hannah Weisman, who recently joined the company as director of geographic expansion.
“The way licensure works is quite complex and differs between states—even for the same type of license,” Weisman said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to guiding Resilience Lab as it expands so that the company can grow responsibly and quickly into new markets.”
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