Hazel Health Grows Leadership Team To Further Address Healthcare Access Inequities

Adds New Chief Health Officer, Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Clinical Operations Officer

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Aug 25, 2021, 14:34 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hazel Health, the national leader in school-based telehealth, today announced the addition of Dr. Travis Gayles as Chief Health Officer, Andrew Post as Chief Innovation Officer, and the promotion of Jeannie Chen to Chief Clinical Operations Officer, furthering the company's commitment to transforming access to quality healthcare for all.

Dr. Travis Gayles and Andrew Post join Jeannie Chen and the Hazel Health team at a momentous time for the company amid exponential growth and increased customer need. Hazel has increased the number of partner schools 25x over the last year and continues to expand its reach. As the country continues to battle a public health crisis with COVID-19 and an alarming rise in pediatric mental health cases, expert leadership across the organization is paramount to continue meeting growth demands.

Prior to joining Hazel Health, Dr. Gayles served as the Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Services for Montgomery County, Maryland, where he oversaw the county health system and was integral in leading the COVID-19 pandemic response. Prior to this, Dr. Gayles was the Chief Medical Officer of the District of Columbia Department of Health. Dr. Gayles brings significant pediatric clinical experience, having worked as a primary care provider and a pediatric hospitalist in community-based settings. Dr. Gayles has also been a published researcher on topics such as the impact of exposure to bullying and interpersonal violence on adolescent risk-taking behavior. He received his BA in Public Policy and African American Studies from Duke University, his Ph.D in Community Health and his MD from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Gayles holds faculty appointments at NYU, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.

"At no time in any of our lives has access to meaningful health services been more important for children," said Gayles. "Hazel Health has established itself as the leader in providing telehealth services to children across the country. This platform has enormous potential to change the way pediatric physical and mental health care is delivered and close the significant gaps that remain in access to care for children. I am excited to join the team to continue the tremendous growth and inspire even more innovation."

Andrew Post recently joined Hazel Health as Chief Innovation Officer, where he helped launch Hazel's integrated physical and mental health service offering. In this new role, Post will both grow Hazel's partnerships with school districts and work with health plans to develop and implement innovative care delivery models. Prior to Hazel, Post served as Chief Innovation Officer of Invo Healthcare, overseeing his brainchild, the Invo Multidisciplinary Program to Address Childhood Trauma (IMPACT), complex school district and agency initiatives, and the company's value based care initiatives for their applied behavior analysis (ABA) business. IMPACT was successful at infusing ABA into a mental health delivery system that helped to mitigate and eradicate the effects of childhood trauma, or Adverse Childhood Experiences, in thousands of youth nationwide. Prior to joining Invo, Andrew served as a classroom teacher and school site administrator in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, an Assistant Superintendent in Duval County Public Schools, and as the President of Catapult Academy.

"Having served previously as a district administrator, I empathize with the school districts' need, and desire, to further address student wellness at a time when the challenges are both wider and deeper than they have ever been. The volume of students with physical and/or mental health needs has exceeded the capacity available through traditional interventions, and requires innovation, and where possible, trusted partnerships, that can expand that clinical capacity and access to coordinated care; and we at Hazel are uniquely positioned to be that trusted partner," said Post.

In addition to external hires, Hazel has promoted Jeannie Chen to Chief Clinical Operations Officer. In her new role, Chen provides leadership to the clinical and corporate teams at Hazel. She is responsible for the operationalization of Hazel's health programs to improve health equity by ensuring families, communities and providers are coordinating care. Chen brings deep knowledge to her post from holding multiple roles throughout the organization since its inception, including account management and implementation. Chen has nearly two decades of executive-level healthcare strategy experience in both delivery and clinical quality capacities, and is a passionate advocate for mental health and making interventions early in a child's life. She received her undergraduate degree from Duke University (with honors) and her MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.

Josh Golomb, CEO, "We are thrilled to have these three individuals joining the leadership of Hazel Health. Each has dedicated their career to improving the health and well-being of young people from a different perspective. Each has made increasing health equity and building community capacity cornerstones of their career. They will help us ensure that all young people are seen, heard and cared for."

About Hazel Health:
Hazel Health is committed to eliminating barriers to quality healthcare for children. As the national leader in delivering pediatric telehealth care, Hazel Health partners with school districts across the U.S. and currently serves almost 2 million children. Hazel's team of experienced pediatricians, therapists, educators, and best-in-class engineers are passionate about ensuring all children receive the best care in school or at home. Hazel is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit http://www.hazel.co.

SOURCE Hazel Health