Mental health providers launching tech innovations | Maryland Daily Record

For stressed healthcare workers, a mental health oasis awaits on their computer or phone: They log into a virtual space and see large windows with expansive views of nature, soothing music, a caring therapist, and others just like them. but through a filter. of anonymity

This is the virtual mental health care experience offered by Cabana, a product of Annapolis-based Even Health. The platform is offered to healthcare workers from multiple health systems through their employers to provide professionally moderated group support in a virtual reality-based environment.

It’s just one of many technology solutions that have been released as more and more insurance companies, health care physicians, and health systems look to innovative practices. Maryland is home to many of the leaders in this field, including Even Health, Bloominmind in Columbia, Mindoula in Silver Spring, and Rose Health in Baltimore.

The industry reports an increase in demand and interest in these solutions, even as behavioral health care re-establishes itself in person and in new hybrid methods of care.

Steve Sidel, founder and CEO of Mindoula, said that at one point during the COVID-19 crisis, even the company’s service line that provides behavioral health services for inpatient psychiatric wards was using therapy. exclusive virtual and video conference on tablets.

Now, even as patients feel more comfortable with in-person visits, some of the video conference appointments have stuck.

“You’re seeing the pendulum swing back, you’re seeing less behavioral health use of purely virtual solutions and more use of hybrid solutions,” Sidel said.

Clinically, the results of virtual therapy are very similar to, sometimes indistinguishable from, in-person therapy, he said. And it allows mental health professionals more choice and flexibility in how they practice, which could provide a solution to longstanding problems like a critical shortage of psychiatrists in rural and remote areas.

group support

For Kristine Hoestermann, director of mental wellness for Even Health and a licensed social worker, the burnout during the pandemic was all too real. She worked for healthcare providers, spending 10-14 hours a day providing virtual private therapy to clients on a consecutive basis. It took a tremendous emotional toll on her, and the telehealth structure would lead to therapist burnout, she feared.

When the opportunity arose at Even Health, Hoestermann realized that clients could benefit from different virtual solutions like Cabana, where he facilitates groups.

“If (the pandemic) has taught us anything, it has taught us that we are incredibly creative as humans,” Hoestermann said. “It challenged me to be a better provider.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness released a survey last year that found that more people, 84%, reported that stigma is a major barrier to people accessing treatment for mood disorders. By comparison, a similar survey in 2009 found that 72% agree that stigma is a major barrier for people seeking treatment for depression.)

The latest figure is a number Even Health CEO and co-founder David Black has taken to heart, saying that with all the anonymity technology can offer, the number should be going down, not up.

On average, a national survey found that it takes a person 11 years to seek support from when they first experience mental health problems, usually because they believe their symptoms are not that severe, he said.

“We have to focus not only on improving access to mental health, but also on addressing the barriers that prevent people from taking the first step,” Black said. “Cost, stigma, trust, and convenience are practical barriers that need innovation, and that’s why we’re looking to expand social support as a means of helping people engage earlier.”

Even Health’s Cabana space was deliberately designed by environmental psychologists and a mental health nurse practitioner to connect people who share things in common but may never have met, in a space that harnesses the healing power of nature and creates psychological safety.

“The opportunity that digital health offers is not just putting a camera on traditional therapy, it’s adapting environmental settings in ways that accelerate meaningful conversation,” Black said.

‘attention extenders’

Many technology solutions go far beyond traditional clinical delivery. At Mindoula, many of their solutions are outreach services, such as peer support, case management, or collaborative care through primary care physician practices.

Mindoula CEO Sidel said one area that spiked during the pandemic was demand for programs that support victims of violence and adolescents and young adults at critical risk of suicide. With increased demand, virtual care extenders delivered by Mindoula in partnership with health plans were widely used.

“We were able to save lives in a very significant way and help families,” Sidel said. “And what it ended up doing was helping the market know that solutions like Mindoula’s exist, and that helped drive demand for those programs even as COVID has receded.”