What tech and healthcare giants - from Google to Cigna - are doing in mental health

Vator will be holding its Future of Mental and Behavioral Health event on Oct. 26

In the technology ecosystem, startups are typically where the new ideas spring forth, and in mental health there are very exciting companies that are raising money right now, even in this tough environment.

While innovation more often than not happens outside big corporations, the big companies are still the major distributors of those new products and services. That includes the big tech companies, of course, but in healthcare it's also the insurance companies, as well as the major hospital systems, all of which have been making strides in the mental health space in the last year.

Here's what they've been up to over the past year:

Tech companies 
Google/YouTube:

• In October 2021, Google hired Megan Jones Bell, former chief strategy and science officer of Headspace, as its clinical director of consumer and mental health to oversee its approach to mental and behavioral health and lead a team of clinicians and health experts who support a number of the tech giant's consumer products. Bell previously worked with Google as a mental health adviser.
• In March, Google revealed that its AI model, MUM, can automatically and more accurately detect a wider range of personal crisis searches. MUM can better understand the intent behind people’s questions to detect when a person is in need, which helps more reliably show trustworthy and actionable information at the right time. 
• In March, GV invested in Brightline, a provider of virtual behavioral health care for children, adolescents, and families, along with KKR, Optum Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Threshold, 7wireVentures, Children's Medical Center Corporation, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
• In April, Google expanded its list of "sensitive categories" available in users' ad control settings, letting them choose to block ads related to pregnancy, parenting, dating and weight loss. These ads will only be restricted on YouTube and the Google Display Network for now. Google Display is a system in which advertisers can bid to have their ads displayed on websites, apps, YouTube and Gmail. Sensitive ad restrictions will not apply to Google Search or Shopping, but the company did say it planned on bringing it to Search in the future.
• In May, Google and the University of Oregon teamed up for a study on how smart phones impact mental health. The four week long study used the participants’ phones to directly measure many of the building blocks of wellbeing, such as sleep and physical activity. Participants had to use an Android phone, complete daily activities without assistance, and they also had the option to add Fitbit data, including step count and physical activity.
• In June, Google launched a suicide hotline for Pakistan in collaboration with ‘Umang Pakistan,’ enabling users to get quick help at the top of the search result page as they browse anything related to suicide. 
• In July, Google Search updated its suicide prevention box with a new hotline number and chat support at the top of their search results. This was done to reflect the new national mental health crisis hotline number, 988.
• In July, Google launched Project håp to help students track and understand their mental health, while maintaining a strong connection with their peers for support. The app offers a feature called a “håp signal” where students can invite family and friends to be part of their support network. When a student feels that they could use support, they can send customized text messages directly from the app to members of their support team, with a simple push of a button. The app also gives students a place to check-in daily and record factors that affect their mental health, including mood, motivation, sleep, and focus. Over time, it compiles this data into reports that give learners insight into what affects their mental health. All data is kept private and secure leveraging Google Cloud Services, and users have full control over their data. The goal is to help learners create emotional self-awareness, empowering them to have more control over their well being.
• In September, YouTube Health launched THE-IQ, which tackles health equity through Information Quality, a new program in partnership with Kaiser Family Foundation. Under THE-IQ, KFF will work with The Loveland Foundation, National Birth Equity Collaborative and Satcher Health Leadership Institute to conceptualize and produce video series that examine health equity through the lens of the respective areas of focus of the three organizations: mental health, maternal health, and healthcare access. Production will take place in September with videos planned for release in November.

Amazon:

• In February, Amazon partnered with Teladoc so that users cam connect to a physician through Amazon Alexa devices, including the Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show. Through this partnership, customers in the U.S. will be able to connect with a Teladoc care provider 24/7 for non-emergency health needs; the Echo device will connect the users with the Teladoc call center, and they will then get a call back on their Echo devices from a Teladoc doctor. If the member is insured, the cost can be as low at $0, or $75 if they are uninsured. Part of Teladoc's services include access to mental health providers through its acquisition of BetterHelp, a mostly direct-to-consumer provider of virtual therapy sessions.
• In February, Amazon Prime Video began rolling out on-set counselors to a number of its productions following the success of the measure on Barry Jenkins’ Underground Railroad. Margy Elliott, Amazon Prime’s Senior Strategy Manager, D&I, said Jenkins’ move is now considered by the streamer to be best practice in terms of mental health and safety on set.
• In March, Amazon Singapore launched a new mental health benefits package that provides its employees and their families with personalized and confidential mental health and well-being support. The new service provides holistic mental well-being support with services such as life coaching, legal and financial support, and mindfulness resources available in addition to the traditional Employee Assistance Program services such as counselling sessions. 
• In July, Amazon acquired primary care provider One Medical for $3.9 billion. For less than $200 a year, One Medical patients get access to health professionals, 24/7 virtual care, and same-day appointments. Part of One Medical's platform includes Mindset, its suite of mental health services, including virtual therapy and coaching, as well as a variety of programs led by providers and health coaches to help patients reduce stress and anxiety, sleep better, and improve their mood.
• In August, Amazon Care partnered with Ginger to offer the service as an optional add-on. Through the partnership, Amazon Care users were to be connected to Ginger's on-demand mental health services including behavioral health coaches, licensed therapists and psychiatrists, according to a live website about the service. This was revealed two weeks before it was announced that Amazon Care was shutting down.

Meta/Facebook:

• In March, Meta introduced Family Center, a new place for parents and guardians to access supervision tools and resources from leading experts. Supervision tools are available on Instagram and VR. 
• In June, announced new tools and resources designed to support parents, guardians and teens in VR and on Instagram, including the ability to nlock specific apps that may be inappropriate for their teen; the ability to view all of the apps that their teen owns; the ability to receive “Purchase Notifications,” alerting them when their teen makes a purchase in VR; the ability to view headset screen time from the Oculus mobile app, so they’ll know how much time their teen is spending in VR; the ability to view their teen’s list of Oculus Friends; and the ability to block Link and Air Link to prevent their teen from accessing content from their PC on their Quest headset. 

Microsoft

• In January, Microsoft partnered with Joye, a Singapore-based wellbeing technology company, to bring a mental fitness capability to the users of Microsoft Teams, globally. The idea is to help millions of employees prevent burnout and improve their mental health and productivity.
• In June, Microsoft announced four new employee workforce initiatives, including fostering a safe space for concerns. Microsoft’s policies and practices aim to reinforce that Microsoft is a safe space for employees to raise concerns. Microsoft’s U.S. settlement and separation agreements no longer include confidentiality language that prohibits workers from disclosing alleged conduct that they perceive is illegal discrimination, harassment, retaliation, sexual assault, or a wage and hour violation occurring in the workplace. 

Payers---------

Cigna/Evernorth:

• In January, Meru Health, an online mental health care provider, announced it joined Evernorth's national behavioral health provider network. By joining its behavioral health network, Meru's services are now available to all Cigna health plan customers who access benefits through their employer or through the company's individual and family plans. Resources available to these customers include access to an online program designed to improve mental health by treating depression, anxiety, and burnout through clinician support and mindfulness practices as well as sleep, nutrition, and social support. Meru Health's online mental health resources were first made available to Cigna health plan customers in three states in the spring of 2020 as a way to quickly address mental health challenges that many faced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In March, Evernorth launched the Confide Behavioral Health Navigator tool. The digital platform was designed to help patients get 24/7 access to care teams that can triage their symptoms and connect them to care.
• In March, Alma, a membership-based network that helps independent mental health care providers access to technology, services, and backend support, and then also brings them together into a community, joined Evernorth's behavioral health network. Customers can search Alma's free online directory to find an in-network therapist; people can filter by age, gender, specialty, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, therapeutic style, specific concerns, and more to help them find the right fit. Individuals can also work with Alma's Client Matching team for a more personalized experience at no extra cost. 
• In April, Cigna was honored by the Business Group on Health for its commitment to advancing the health and well-being of its workforce, marking the 15th consecutive year Cigna has been recognized with this distinction. The company also received the "Best Employers: Excellence in Mental Health" Award.
• In April, Evernorth and Behavioral Health Center of Excellence announced a partnership for people with autism. The new partnership will allow the organizations to collaborate on developing quality performance measures that will help people with autism and their caregivers assess the quality of their treatment. Through this collaboration, Evernorth and BHCOE will work to establish foundational measures for ABA treatment. These measures will help patients, caregivers, providers and health plans better assess the overall quality of delivered care, and to assess patient outcomes as aligned with national health care quality standards in behavioral health. Evernorth behavioral health clients, as well as Cigna health plan customers who receive health coverage through their employer or marketplace exchange plans, will be among the first to benefit from these standard performance metrics.
• In June, Grow Therapy, a company that helps create therapeutic connections between therapists and clients, announced its mental health care services were available as an in-network benefit to all members of Evernorth’s behavioral health network. Using Grow Therapy, people can search online with the confidence that they will find a therapist who accepts their insurance and specializes in the areas of their life that they would like to focus on.
• In August, the Cigna Foundation announced more than $3 million in grants to local nonprofits to help address childhood hunger and mental health concerns as schools return to session. Programs spanning communities in 16 states received financial support enabling them to positively impact thousands of children across the country.
• In August, Cigna Ventures invested in Alma, alongside Thoma Bravo, Insight Partners, Optum Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Primary Venture Partners, and Sound Ventures.
• In August, virtual opioid addiction service Bicycle Health joined Cigna's Evernorth. Through this partnership, Bicycle is available to all Evernorth clients, as well as Cigna health plan customers who receive health coverage through their employer or marketplace exchange plans in 24 states. 
• In September, Big Health, a digital therapeutics company dedicated to helping people back to good mental health, announced that Daylight for anxiety and Sleepio for insomnia were added to the Evernorth Digital Health Formulary. Daylight and Sleepio can be used alongside medications or as a clinical grade alternative to medications, or when talk therapy is not accessible. Evernorth clients can now offer access to Daylight and Sleepio as part of their benefit plans.
• In September, two additional solutions by Quit Genius, a digital clinic for treating multiple substance addictions, were added to the Evernorth Digital Health Formulary. These solutions, which cover care for alcohol and opioid addictions, are in addition to Quit Genius’ tobacco use disorder care solution, which was added to the Formulary in 2019. 

Anthem/Blue Cross and Blue Shield:

• In January, Blue Shield of California announced that its health plan members who are enrolled in the Wellvolution program now have access to Ginger’s on-demand, personalized mental health support that can be accessed on their smartphone. With the addition of Ginger, Wellvolution members have access to Headspace Health’s full spectrum of mental health and wellness self-help and clinical services on one platform.
• In March, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts invested in Brightline, a provider of virtual behavioral health care for children, adolescents, and families, along with KKR, Optum Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Threshold, 7wireVentures, Children's Medical Center Corporation, and GV.
• In March, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona announced the launch of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement, which focuses on mental health, health equity, chronic health conditions, and substance use disorder. The Foundation will commit $5 million over three years to address a wide range of mental health issues. Applications for its first competitive grant opened on March 1, 2022 for programs and/or applied research that target issues such as access – provider shortage, telehealth, suicide prevention, youth mental health, intersection of mental health and substance use disorder, and the COVID-19 effect.
• In April, UpHealth announced credentialling with New Directions Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida at its Olympus Recovery facility, a mental health and substance abuse recovery center that specializes in curriculum-based programs. The facility also features a highly specialized program for veterans and first responders that provides a safe place for these communities to recover from mental health issues and substance use disorders.
• In April, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts launched "Miles for Mental Health," a month-long Bluebikes campaign to recognize Mental Health Awareness Month and celebrate National Bike Month. The campaign featured complimentary Bluebikes rides on National Ride a Bike Day; free Adventure Passes each Sunday in May across the Bluebikes system's 11 municipalities; and the chance to win an annual Bluebikes membership.
• In May, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts expanded its mental health provider network, including additional specialists in a range of areas including obsessive compulsive disorder, serious mental illness, trauma and substance use disorders. The company also contracted with primary mental health groups to help match members to clinicians who are most appropriate for their needs and make it easier to schedule an appointment. Blue Cross is enhancing its provider network by contracting with several primary mental health providers that will increase access to services for members. The practices include Thriveworks, Headway, Refresh Mental Health and Valera Health.
• In May, The Anthem Foundation announced the commitment of $13 million in grants to promote equity in mental health, particularly for people with substance use disorders. Each program will focus on one of the following goals: prevention and early intervention of risk factors that lead to substance use disorders, improved access and quality of treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality of substance use disorders, and community support to promote lifelong recovery. These grants are part of up to $30 million the Foundation plans to invest over the next three years to make significant progress toward reducing substance use disorders and their health impacts.
• In May, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas received the 2021 Brand Excellence Award for Brand Innovation in its work to help Kansans seeking mental health care. This work was done in partnership with MiResource, a custom tool with a personalized approach to mental health care.
• In May,  BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina expanded its partnership with Solera Health to include mental and musculoskeletal health offerings. The health and wellness program, called My Health Novel, has been expanded to include providers such as eMindful, Headspace and Ginger for mental and behavioral health.
• In June, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana gave a $150,000 grant from to Four County Behavioral Health, to expand its Logansport Crisis Stabilization Unit. A Crisis Stabilization Unit is a short-term care option where individuals can come and receive care, staying for a short period of time in an effort to keep problems from escalating to the point of needing inpatient help.
• In June, Anthem launched a new a digital-first solution in collaboration with Happify Health, which bridges the gap between the physical and mental health concerns women face. It is part of Anthem’s early and consistent support of women throughout the entirety of their maternal health journey with solutions such as ongoing education, case management, and care coordination.
• In July, Eleanor Health announced a partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio to support members with mental health and substance use disorders. The partnership officially kicked off in May for members of Anthem’s commercial health plans with flexible, convenient care offered at Eleanor’s clinics in Youngstown, Akron, or Dayton, or virtually from anywhere across the state.
• In July, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina announced it was expanding its network of behavioral health providers through a collaboration with Headway, a mental health care company that works with insurers to deliver high-value mental health care. Together the two companies will make it easier for Blue Cross NC members to quickly access – as soon as 48 hours – in-network therapists and psychiatrists who meet their specific needs. The focus of the collaboration is on improving access to care for underserved communities, including rural and socially vulnerable counties, children and adolescents, and individuals across diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. This collaboration will help solve a significant health care challenge in North Carolina – the shortage of behavioral health specialists. North Carolina ranks 38th in access to mental health care, and 61 of the state's 100 counties have no psychiatrists treating children and adolescents. The two companies began working to expand in-network providers in May.
• In July, Hurdle Health announced a partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to provide free culturally responsive mental healthcare to residents of Brooklyn Center. This effort is part of Blue Cross’s five-year place-based partnership with the city of Brooklyn Center. Brooklyn Center is the second most racially diverse city in Minnesota and the only city led by a Black Mayor and City Manager. Additionally, Brooklyn Center has been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice, which has taken a serious toll on the physical and mental health of the community.
• In August, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announced a collaboration with Headway, a  company that expands access to in-network mental health care, to support CareFirst’s mental healthcare system. Headway is providing options for behavioral health providers to participate in CareFirst networks and all existing CareFirst providers will be given the option to voluntarily join Headway. This collaboration with Headway, launched in August 2022, reflects CareFirst's commitment to bolstering mental health resources in the mid-Atlantic region by providing more visibility to the resources available in communities to make mental health support more accessible for all.
• In August, Premera Blue Cross, through its Social Impact program, announced an additional $3 million in grants and sponsorships committed to 20 organizations across Washington and Alaska. This expands on the company’s continued philanthropic work focused on addressing health inequities, issues with mental health conditions and substance use disorder, and how those conditions intersect with homelessness.  Grant recipients include: Helping Hands Project Organization, HopeSource, Jumping Mouse Children’s Center, NAMI Alaska, Somali Health Board, and Sultana New Ventures.
• In August, Empire BlueCross BlueShield announced a suite of companies that were joining the Empire provider network as the company works to respond to the growing needs for behavioral healthcare services in New York. Empire added Alma, Headway, NOCD, and Ophelia to the company’s network.
• In September, Hopscotch, a digital youth mental health startup, secured partnerships with Optum, Aetna, and Cigna to bring more in-network mental health care to the market.
• In September, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation provided a new three-year grant to the Chris Atwood Foundation to allow more individuals to progress from treatment for substance use disorder, incarceration, or other high-risk transition points into a safe and supportive recovery housing environment. This grant is part of the Elevance Health Foundation’s commitment of $13 million in grants this year to promote equity in mental health, particularly for people with substance use disorders. Elevance Health Foundation plans to invest up to $30 million over the next three years to make significant progress toward reducing substance use disorders and their health impacts.

CVS/Aetna

• In September 2021, Aetna collaborated with Oui Health and its affiliate, Vita. The Oui team developed therapies and interventions to reduce suicide attempts by up to 60 percent in randomized, controlled clinical trials. At-risk members, including those being discharged from the hospital or emergency department after an attempt, are connected to Oui Health through Aetna Care Management. Aetna and Oui Health also collaborated to launch Youth Nominated Support Teams for members nationwide. In this program, adolescents and young adults nominate adults from their family, school or community to serve in the role of support persons who are approved by the individual’s parent or guardian. YST intervention specialists (a mental health professional from Oui Health) then work with the nominated adults to help reduce the risk of death for the teen.
• In March, a CVS Health/Morning Consult survey of Americans age 18+ found that mental health concerns were continuing to rise among individuals of all backgrounds, especially Black, age 65+, young adult, and LGBTQIA+ respondents. The survey also found more Americans agree that the pandemic has made them more comfortable seeking support for mental health and using technology to address it. Twenty of the units at the Arthur @ Blackstone will be reserved for special needs tenants, specifically transition age youth considered to be chronically homeless, homeless, or at-risk of becoming chronically homeless. This includes youth who are aging out of the foster care system, transitioning from institutions, and youth with a history of involvement in the justice system. The remaining units will target low-income families.
• In March, CVS Health and Fresno Housing collaborated to build new affordable housing in Fresno, California. Through Red Stone Equity Partners, CVS Health invested an estimated $18.4 million into the Arthur @ Blackstone, a new Fresno Housing development. 
• In June, Aetna and Psych Hub, which helps people overcome mental health challenges through multimedia education, launched an Adolescent Treatment Training Series to meet the needs of youth and young adults. This joint effort arms the 283,000 behavioral health and employee assistance program providers in Aetna’s commercial network, Aetna’s internal clinicians and CVS Health’s licensed counselors at MinuteClinic in select HealthHUB locations with access to a curriculum in the form of courses and resources to identify and treat adolescents and young adults along a full continuum of care, from prevention through intervention, for those at risk of suicide.
• In August, CVS Health selected telehealth company Amwell to provide its new virtual primary care offering, which includes on-demand behavioral health services. The service will offer access to primary care, mental health, chronic pain management and the option of in-person care. In 2016, CVS and Amwell partnered with Cleveland Clinic on a deal to connect CVS MinuteClinic patients virtually to Cleveland Clinic providers.
• In August, CVS Health Foundation announced it was supporting the efforts of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to expand the number of licensed mental health clinicians and mental health care services throughout the country with a $1.5 million grant to be distributed to members of NAFC for the purpose of increasing access to health care in areas of significant need. Through this grant, NAFC member clinics will be able to add more than 250 mental and behavioral health clinicians.
• In August, CVS Health named Taft Parsons III, M.D. as Vice President and Chief Psychiatric Officer. In his role, Dr. Parsons provides clinical partnership across CVS Health’s behavioral health and mental well-being activities, focusing on delivering high-quality, appropriate and cost-effective mental health care for patients, members, customers and communities. He leads the Aetna Medical Affairs Behavioral Health organization.
• In September, Hopscotch, a digital youth mental health startup, secured partnerships with Optum, Aetna, and Cigna to bring more in-network mental health care to the market.
• In September, Karen S. Lynch, president and CEO of CVS Health, wrote an op-ed on CNN that employers should take the reigns on mental health care. She had three pieces of advice for employers on how effectively engage their employees in terms of their mental health, including being transparent and open; for employers to increase access to mental health care; and that employers should encourage peer support, so that employees can learn on each other for help.

UnitedHealthcare/Optum

• In March, UnitedHealth Group health services division Optum acquired outpatient mental health provider Refresh Mental Health. Optum has focused on addressing the need for better coordination of care and more efficient access to behavioral health providers of the right level of care.
• In March, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Mississippi provided $169,500 in funding to the University of Mississippi Medical Center to support children, their families, and the provider community with local professional sickle cell disease expertise and behavioral health support and services. The new funding will go to the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Center for the Advancement of Youth, which will use the funding to create a pilot project to determine the effectiveness of Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes programs that improve the developmental, behavioral and mental health of Mississippians 21 years of age and younger.
• In June, the United Health Foundation made a $100 million commitment over 10 years to advance health equity, furthering its efforts to eliminate health disparities. This new commitment, the largest single philanthropic commitment ever made by the United Health Foundation, will focus specifically on helping build a racially and ethnically diverse health workforce. Through philanthropic programs and partnerships, the funding will provide scholarships and support to 10,000 underrepresented future clinicians and upskilling health professionals to help in obtaining academic degrees or other professional credentials for clinical careers in medicine, nursing, midwifery, mental health and other specialties.
• In August, Optum Ventures invested in Alma, a membership-based network that helps independent mental health care providers access to technology, services, and backend support, and then also brings them together into a community, alongside Thoma Bravo, Insight Partners, Cigna Ventures, Tusk Venture Partners, Primary Venture Partners, and Sound Ventures.
• In August, UnitedHealthcare awarded $500,000 in Empowering Health grants to four community-based organizations in Maryland to expand access to care and address the social determinants of health for uninsured individuals and underserved communities. In total, UnitedHealthcare is donating $11 million in grants through its Empowering Health program across 11 states. The grants will assist individuals and families experiencing challenges from food insecurity, social isolation and behavioral health issues, and support local health promotion and health literacy efforts. Grant recipients in Maryland include University of Maryland School Mental Health Program within the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
• In August, UnitedHealthcare selected two mental health startups as part of its health care accelerator: YourPath, which is focused on helping individuals with substance use disorder  get access to treatment, and Mood Health, which is looking to help individuals seeking mental health resources get care.
• In September, Hopscotch, a digital youth mental health startup, secured partnerships with Optum, Aetna, and Cigna to bring more in-network mental health care to the market.

Humana

• In February, Humana entered into a partnership with Array Behavioral Care, a national telehealth practice specializing in behavioral health, to provide behavioral telehealth services to Humana Medicare Advantage individual and group members nationwide in 2022. Array AtHome's virtual psychiatry and counseling services are now available to about five million Medicare Advantage members. Since 2016, Array has served Humana members as a covered benefit through partnerships with primary care providers, integrating behavioral care into their clinics and practices.
• In March, the Humana Foundation contributed $50,000 to LEAP Tampa Bay for an online mental health resource. Tampa Bay college students can go to YourCollegeCares.org to find direct links to their school’s web page listing campus mental health resources, informational websites relating to behavioral health and phone numbers, including the suicide hotline and the general crisis hotline.  

Health systems------

Providence:

• In September, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett's behavioral health unit added an enclosed rooftop patio located at the site of a former helipad, to enhance dignity and provide emotional well-being for patients who may be staying as long as six months at the hospital for mental health treatment.

Mercy Health:

• In February, Mercy Health - Lorain Hospital opened its new Behavioral Health Access Center, located in the hospital’s Emergency Department. Iy provides compassionate, specialized care to patients with mental health and addiction emergencies. In 2019, Mercy Health – Lorain Hospital was awarded a $325,000 grant to refresh its existing BAC to provide improved facilities and services to behavioral health patients. The grant was administered by Lorain County Community College.

UnityPoint Health

• In March, UnityPoint Health launched the Young Minds Project, which is raising funds for its new Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center in the former Heddington Oaks nursing home in West Peoria. It will be the first inpatient mental health center of its kind in the area. 
• In April, UnityPoint Health received a $2 million federal grant for its Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center
• In June, Bridgeview Community Mental Health Center signed a management services agreement with UnityPoint Health – Robert Young Center to help more people access mental health services in the Gateway area. Under the agreement, RYC, which is based in the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities, now provides management services, clinical leadership, and expertise to Bridgeview with a goal of improving and expanding mental health services to people of all ages.
• In August, UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge partnered with Webster County Public Health, so patients know about the additional services and resources available in our community regarding maternal health. Webster County Public Health provides resources to moms and their babies that include breastfeeding support, mental health resources, home visits for mom and baby after delivery, obtaining baby supplies, transportation to appointments, and weight checks.
• In September, CEFCU donated $500,000 to UnityPoint Health to fund transformation of the Heddington Oaks nursing home into a center for youth mental health care

(Vator will be holding its Future of Behavioral and Mental Health event in October with speakers that include Russ Glass from Headspace Health; Steve Gatena from Pray.com; Ben Lewis from Limbix; Rebecca Egger from Little Otter; Divya Shah from Meta, and others. Register here to buy your ticket)

(Image source: pillarsofwellness.ca)