Knowledge is power
Mental health issues will cost U.S. businesses an estimated $16 trillion in productivity losses over the next two decades, according to the World Health Organization.
Luckily, we’ll soon have an app for that.
A year after launching through The Iron Yard’s Digital Health Accelerator, Spartanburg-based Resiliency Technologies announced a $1 million in services investment from software analytics firm Elpis Labs, based in Raleigh, N.C.
In exchange for 15 percent in equity, the investment will build out Resiliency’s global and desktop platforms and bring the product to market 18 months ahead of schedule, according to CEO Robyn Hussa Farrell and COO Tim Farrell.
“The problem we’re solving is so many people are struggling with mental illness – one in four Americans, and one in five Europeans,” said Robyn Hussa Farrell, who began developing educational and recovery tools around behavioral health topics with her nonprofit Mental Fitness. “Mental illness is one of the most preventable diseases. We’re building, and have been building, these preventative resources.”
After nearly a decade, the pair has built a stockpile of resources based on clinical and research data that help people understand, identify and prevent complications related to mental illness. The challenge has been how to deliver these materials most efficiently and in an engaging way to very different groups – think professionals, physicians, clinicians, educators, parents and children. The solution is a digital platform, and the business model relies on institutions buying licenses and the platforms collecting reams of data that can help shape more effective materials in the future.
“As we went through The Iron Yard, we had lots of content,” said Tim Farrell. “What we were trying to figure out was what our delivery system would be and how we could build a platform to deliver these educational tools and bring return on investment to our clients.” The partnership with Elpis means a quicker, more sophisticated platform as well as returning more detailed analytics that boost measurable elements and return on investment, he said.
“Over the last 10 years what we’ve shown, for example, is that a pediatrician is the first person to see a child that might be dealing with a mental health problem,” said Robyn Hussa Farrell. “If a pediatrician is not taught how to handle that, they’re not as well equipped to help the child.”
Part of the problem is that providers don’t typically receive extensive training with mental health issues or have haven’t had access to relevant content, she said. In a pilot test with pediatricians at Greenville Health System, for example, 90 percent said they increased their knowledge or understanding of co-morbidities, diagnosing eating disorders or referring patients to proper treatment. In a pilot with school counselors in Spartanburg’s District 1 schools, 90 percent said the material increased their awareness of co-morbidities and conversation starters.
“There are lots of use-cases for the technology that we’re building,” said Tim Farrell. “In physical health, there are a lot of scales. There are measures that you can take a look at to determine how healthy someone is in the mental health space.”
While the platform build with Elpis will take some time, the pair plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign at BResilient.co to pre-sell access to the mobile application, software bundling and additional software licenses at reduced rates. The goal is to get materials into as many hands as possible, said Tim Farrell.
“What we’re building here, along with the back-end analytics… is the scale by which you can measure mental wellness,” he said.
[photos – rearrange names depending on pose]
Tim Farrell and Robin Hussa Farrell, cofounders of Resiliency Technologies.
[photos by Ashley Boncimino]
