Nema Health raises $4.1M for virtual PTSD treatment
Patients receive cognitive processing therapy and meet with their therapist 3 to 5 times per week
It's estimated that about 6% of the U.S. population will have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their lives, and that about 5% has PTSD in any given year. That may not seem like a lot but in 2020 that added up to about 13 million Americans. trauma, including sexual assault, combat, and childhood abuse.
PTSD can be caused by sexual assault, early childhood abuse, war and combat, pregnancy loss, medical trauma, and gun violence, among others, and symptoms inclue anxiety, avoidance, guilt, intrusive thoughts, and muscle tension.
Nema Health is a company dedicated to helping people recover from trauma through the use of cognitive processing therapy (CPT). On Thursday, Sofia Noori, the company's CEO, told Axios that it raised $4.1 million in seed funding led by Optum Ventures and .406 Ventures.
Nema, which is available to adults ages 18 years and older in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, delivers care entirely virtually, with video visits through its online patient portal.
Patients who sign up for Nema receive an initial evaluation by a licensed expert clinician, a designated peer mentor who has lived experience with trauma and PTSD, and support between sessions via messaging and interactive exercises During a period of intensive treatment, patients meet with their therapist three to five times per week.
Patients generally complete intensive treatment within three to four weeks, after which they'll meet with their therapist monthly for up to a year in order to make sure they're still effectively managing their symptoms.
All of Nema’s therapists are licensed mental health professionals who hold a master’s degree or higher. They are specialty trained in trauma and PTSD and receive regular ongoing training from Nema’s clinical leadership.
Patients can use Nema is they already have a therapist, though they typically pause with their existing therapist, or address non-trauma issues with their existing therapist, while working with their Nema therapist on their PTSD. Nema will also provide progress updates and a summary of treatment to their existing therapist.
While Nema doesn't offer medication support without therapy, it has a team of psychiatrists that provide short-term courses of medication management. If a patient needs medication, they're placed on an optimized medication regimen, after which Nema helps identify a long-term prescriber for ongoing medication management.
The company accepts several major insurance plans, including UnitedHealthcare, Optum, Oxford, and ConnectiCare.
"Trauma is more prevalent than the existing narrative around PTSD would have you believe, and therefore treatment should be equally prevalent," .406 Ventures partner and Nema investor Payal Agrawal Divakaran told Axios.
VatorNews has reached out to Nema Health for further comment on the new funding round. We will update this story with any new information.
(Image source: nemahealth.com)
