Bend Health Expands Access to Improved Pediatric and Teen Mental Health Care

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Mar 23, 2023, 09:00 ET

Founded to help address the National State of Emergency in Children's Mental Health, Bend expands access to its services through agreements with two of the nation's largest health insurers, employers totaling 650,000 people, and leading health systems

MADISON, Wis., March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --Bend Health, Inc. ("Bend") a leading national, virtual pediatric behavioral care provider, today announced that it has expanded access to its services through agreements with two of the nation's largest health insurers, employers totaling 650,000 people, and integrated medical and behavioral health partnerships with Sauk Prairie Healthcare, Allegro Pediatrics, and other multi-specialty systems with 500 doctors and care providers nationwide.

UnitedHealthcare, Magellan (California), and other insurers now offer Bend services as a covered benefit to 170 million people. These agreements, along with growing health system and employer partnerships and self-pay, extend Bend access to all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Later this year services will expand from supporting kids and teens ages 1-17 to include those up to age 26.

"As a mom and child psychiatrist, it's deeply concerning to me that our communities, families, and health system are ill-equipped to support positive mental health development and care," said Dr. Monika Roots, Bend co-founder and president. "We started Bend because we believe there is a better way that enables access to preventative services in mental health care like we have in primary care today, while also ensuring emergency service support. Our progress is rapid and encouraging, and our team and partners are dedicated to fixing this crisis."

Bend supports mental health from sub-acute issues such as stress, sibling rivalry, technology addiction, anxiety, and depression to severe mental illness, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and co-occurring substance use. Its collaborative care model combines virtual video visits, chat messaging, and integrated digital experiences to provide kids, teens, and caregivers skills that support long-term mental health resilience and wellness. Care teams benefit from AI and novel technology that uses measurement-based care to track patient progress.

"Our partnership with Bend on whole-person, whole-family mental health care has accelerated access to care from six to 18 months to a matter of days, solving an especially critical challenge for rural communities," said Dr. Ellen Wermuth, a family physician with Sauk Prairie Healthcare in rural Wisconsin. "This is meaningful progress, and everyone across health care must continue working together to address our national mental health care crisis. If not to ourselves, we owe it to our children."

"Bend is transforming pediatric behavioral health at scale through industry-changing partnerships, widespread access, caring communities, and evidence-based, personalized care for kids, teens, and their families," said Grace Chou, Bend board member and partner at Maveron, a leading venture capital firm investing in the iconic brands of tomorrow. "Together, we are solving one of health care's great challenges and putting in place solutions that help this generation and those that follow live fuller, healthier lives."

The company recently closed its Series A financing round. Along with its Seed round, Bend has raised $32 million from respected investors including Maveron, SteelSky Ventures, and WVV Capital.

About Bend Health, Inc.

Bend Health, Inc., a national provider of pediatric mental health care services for children and families, is on a mission to improve access and reduce the cost of high-quality, expert mental health care. Bend is revolutionizing treatment through a novel, data-driven technology platform and evidence-based collaborative care model that enables the first scalable and integrated care solution in mental health. Through coaching, therapy, and faster access to evaluation and treatment by psychiatric experts, Bend achieves better outcomes utilizing measurement-based care and supports happier, healthier kids and families. Bend services are available through partnerships with leading insurers, employers, and health systems, and self-pay. Follow us online: www.BendHealth.com.

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SOURCE Bend Health, Inc