Fort Health, a leader in integrated behavioral health, announced that it has raised $5.5 million to expand mental health care to more pediatricians’ offices. Twelve Below and Vanterra led this funding round, bringing the total amount raised to $16 million.
Since launching, Fort Health has expanded into NJ, NY, and PA and secured large commercial contracts with payers and provider groups to provide access to evidence-based youth mental health care services. The latest funding round will enable the expansion into Texas and Illinois through a partnership with NovaWell.
The US has been experiencing an extreme teenage mental health crisis. So, there is a pressing need to enhance access to mental healthcare where alarming statistics exacerbate the challenges.
After the pediatrician makes a referral, the patient is matched with a Fort Health provider based on preference, and the clinical team completes an evaluation and creates a personalized care plan. And the pediatrician is kept apprised of clinical progress throughout the care journey, and informed regarding changes to medications. Fort Health provides training to parents to better equip them to support their children at home.
Through a partnership with NovaWell, Fort Health will work directly with pediatric provider groups and hospitals in Texas and Illinois to provide evidence-based therapy, psychiatry, and parent coaching – all covered by insurance.
The funding round was led by Twelve Below and Vanterra bringing the total amount raised to $16 million. And Redesign Health, Blue Venture Fund, and True Wealth Ventures also participated in this funding round, further boosting confidence in Fort Health’s team and model.
KEY QUOTES:
“Pediatricians are the most trusted relationship in family healthcare, yet they are overwhelmed by patients with mental health issues and very few have completed a child and adolescent psychiatry rotation or have the training to treat these conditions. We have built our model to ensure that the pediatrician is central to the care team. Importantly, integrating behavioral health with primary care not only streamlines the experience, but also makes sense from a cost perspective. According to Milliman, integrated behavioral healthcare can reduce total medical healthcare expenses per patient by 9% to 17%.”
– Natalie Schneider, founding CEO of Fort Health
“We are excited to bring Fort Health into our comprehensive suite of integrated, evidence-based services that help patients thrive.”
– Suzanne Kunis, president and CEO, NovaWell
“Investing in Fort Health means supporting a transformative platform that prioritizes accessible, evidence-based care for children and adolescents.”
– Ellis Fried, vice president at Vanterra
“Many solutions exist for families who can pay out of pocket, but we wanted to help democratize access for those families who cannot afford cash-pay. Fort Health is making this possible.”
– Taylor Greene, partner at Twelve Below
