Advocate Health among those that have backed Bend Health for $32M

Advocate Health has backed virtual-first mental health care provider Bend Health, which has raised $32M since launching in 2021. 

Bend Health is a paediatric mental health company, treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, and co-occurring substance use, through video visits, chat messages and other integrated digital tools, utilising technology such as AI to track patient progress. 

Bend Health has recently entered into a partnership with a Wisconsin health system and on March 23rd announced it came to agreements with payers UnitedHealthcare and Magellan, as well as partnerships with providers including Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin based Sauk Prairie Healthcare.

"Our partnership with Bend on whole-person, whole-family mental healthcare has accelerated access to care from six to 18 months to a matter of days, solving an especially critical challenge for rural communities," said Ellen Wermuth, MD, a family physician with Sauk Prairie Healthcare, in the March 23 news release. "This is meaningful progress, and everyone across healthcare must continue working together to address our national mental healthcare crisis. If not to ourselves, we owe it to our children."