Health IT, Startups

Behavioral health management meets social network: Big White Wall opens shop in U.S.

UK-based Big White Wall, which provides access to live therapists and support networks for mental […]

UK-based Big White Wall, which provides access to live therapists and support networks for mental health needs, officially launched in the U.S. at the Mobile Health Summit this week. It’s a big move for the company and comes 18 months after CEO Jen Hyatt took part in a coalition of UK healthcare businesses selected by the Secretary of Health to attend Health Datapalooza in Washington, D.C. It comes at a time when providers and payers are showing increased interest in expanding mental health care delivery.

Among the new customers the company disclosed are faith-based mental health organization Mosaic; in contracting with Value Options Maryland; and soft launch with Kaiser Permanente NorthWest.

Hyatt was one of the keynote presenters at the mHealth Summit and was honored at the Disruptive Women in Health Care segment.

Big White Wall got started in 2007 as a peer support network for people suffering from psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. In addition to a network of participants designed to help people manage their condition, it also offers a live talk therapy in groups and one on one sessions. The company’s website claims that members can communicate freely but anonymously on its network. The idea is to provide support 24 hours, seven days a week.

In a TedMed Talk earlier this year, Hyatt talked about how it envisions social networks as a way to alleviate mental health issues by making participants feel less isolated.

Although Big White Wall’s has had a U.S. sales office in Philadelphia, it plans to make New York City the headquarters of its U.S. operations. But Hyatt noted in a short interview with MedCity News that most of its contracts are on the West Coast so it will likely be opening a satellite office there, too. It currently has 12 staff in the U.S. She added that it will work with the National Committee for Quality Assurance for accreditation, as it’s done with the UK equivalent.

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