Mental health startup Amae Health picks up $6M from Cedars-Sinai
Cedars-Sinai Invests $6 Million in Amae Health to Expand access to Mental Health Care
Table of Contents
- Cedars-Sinai Invests $6 Million in Amae Health to Expand access to Mental Health Care
- Amae Health Secures $30 Million to Expand Community-Based Mental Health Care for Those with Severe Illness
- Amae Health: A New Approach to Treating Severe Mental Illness
- Amae Health: Revolutionizing Care for Severe Mental Illness with a Whole-Person Approach
Los Angeles, CA – Amae health, a startup revolutionizing care for severe mental illness (SMI), has secured a $6 million investment from Cedars-Sinai, further solidifying their partnership and commitment to expanding access to complete mental health services.
This investment builds on a two-year collaboration that began with Amae Health’s first outpatient clinic opening in Los Angeles. The partnership will see the integration of electronic health records, enabling seamless dialog and data sharing between the two organizations.
“We’ll be able to communicate and share facts on members and data back and forth,” said Stas Sokolin, co-founder and CEO of Amae Health.”It’s a collaboration partnership. Once somebody’s leaving Cedars,a patient always has a choice of where they want to go,but usually there’s a referral being made on the provider side to say,’Hear are your options. Here’s where I would recommend that you go based upon your illness and your symptoms.'”
Amae Health takes a unique, data-driven approach to SMI treatment, offering psychiatrist-led integrated care and wraparound mental health services. Their integrated care team comprises psychiatrists, primary care providers, therapists, health coaches, peer supporters, and social workers, aiming to bridge the gap between physical and mental health care.
(Amae Health)
Amae Health provides comprehensive care for a range of conditions, including schizophrenia, psychosis, mania, suicidality, co-occurring substance use disorder, borderline personality disorder, and bipolar disorder.
“Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand, and patients with serious mental illness can often benefit from structured, individualized plans,” said Dr. Itai Danovitch, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “Our investment in Amae Health represents our ongoing commitment to whole-person health.”
This strategic investment highlights the growing role health systems play in reshaping the behavioral health landscape. By partnering with innovative providers like Amae Health,systems can address critical care gaps and set a new standard for whole-person healthcare.
“Amae Health community health workers visit Cedars-Sinai hospitals to connect and engage with patients,” added Sonia Garcia, co-founder and chief product officer of Amae Health. “This allows us to build relationships and ensure a smooth transition to our care.”
Amae Health Secures $30 Million to Expand Community-Based Mental Health Care for Those with Severe Illness
Los Angeles, CA – Amae Health, a startup focused on providing comprehensive care for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI), announced today a $30 million Series B funding round led by Cedars-Sinai. This investment will fuel Amae’s expansion into new markets, allowing them to bring their innovative, community-based care model to more people in need.
Amae Health’s approach stands out for its integrated and long-term focus. “We want to ensure we’re delivering care at the right phase of what a patient needs at the right time,” explains Dr. Maria Garcia, Amae Health’s Chief Medical Officer.
The company’s model involves a multi-phased approach, starting with intensive care following hospitalization or a crisis event.Patients then transition to less frequent visits as they progress, ultimately reaching a maintenance phase that may involve monthly check-ins.
“We work with them on their life goals and their adherence to some kind of purpose and meaning in their life,” Dr. Garcia adds. “We’re helping them return to work or school or re-engage into the community.”
This personalized approach is crucial, as traditional mental health care for SMI can be fragmented and tough to access. Emergency rooms often become the default point of care, leading to a cycle of crisis and hospitalization.
Amae Health aims to break this cycle by providing a supportive and integrated surroundings. They offer a range of services, including psychiatric evaluations, medication management, therapy, and peer support.
“We structure what’s called a warm handoff so that folks can be basically liaisoned over into our care same day, next day, post discharge,” Dr. Garcia says. “It makes for a very effective relationship, which oftentimes is quite sensitive and quite difficult for folks to engage in follow-on care.”
The company’s success is evident in its growth. Since opening its first clinic in Los Angeles over two years ago, amae Health has expanded to New York City and Raleigh, north Carolina, with plans to open a clinic in Houston in January.
This latest funding round, which also includes participation from existing investors like Quiet Capital and Healthier Capital, will allow Amae Health to accelerate its expansion and reach even more individuals struggling with SMI.
The need for improved mental health care is urgent. According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 14.1 million adults in the U.S. live with SMI. Young adults aged 18-25 have the highest prevalence, with a staggering 322% increase in annual deaths due to drug overdose and suicide.
Amae health’s commitment to providing accessible, high-quality care offers a beacon of hope for individuals with SMI and their families. Their innovative model, coupled with this meaningful investment, positions them to make a meaningful impact on the lives of countless people.
Amae Health: A New Approach to Treating Severe Mental Illness
Driven by personal experience, a new startup aims to revolutionize care for those with severe mental illness through a technology-driven, patient-centered approach.
For families grappling with severe mental illness (SMI),the healthcare system can feel like a labyrinth of frustration. David Sokolin knows this firsthand. His sister struggled with SMI for years, cycling through incarceration, homelessness, and hospitalizations.”All of our families’ time, resources, and energy was spent trying to get her help, and the system repeatedly failed over and over,” he said.
This deeply personal experience fueled Sokolin’s determination to create a better path for individuals with SMI. Along with co-founder Maria Garcia, he launched Amae Health, a company dedicated to providing comprehensive, integrated care for this frequently enough-overlooked population.
Filling a Critical Gap in Mental Health Care
While the mental health market is seeing a surge in startups addressing mild to moderate conditions like depression and anxiety, SMI remains underserved. Amae Health aims to bridge this gap by offering a “whole-person” approach led by psychiatrists. Their model draws inspiration from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ accomplished intensive case management program.
Precision medicine and Technology-driven Care
Amae Health is leveraging technology to personalize treatment and improve outcomes.The company has developed a precision medicine platform that uses data to tailor care plans to individual needs.
“We’ve been doubling down on our technology team, on our AI platform and research aspects to figure out how to prescribe better,” Sokolin explained. “How do we develop precision medicine? How do we know what therapeutic intervention will work with somebody so we don’t just try this one-size-fits-all approach, which really has been what the field has predominantly done for the last 40 to 50 years?”
Andrew Girvin, a former Palantir executive, leads Amae Health’s AI initiatives. Garcia emphasizes that technology augments, rather than replaces, human connection. “It’s human-led care, augmented by technology and AI,” she said.
Creating a Welcoming and Supportive Environment
Amae Health goes beyond clinical care, focusing on creating a welcoming and supportive environment for patients.
“We invest a lot into our clinic spaces to make them holistic community centers, where there’s a lot of intentionality brought into play for folks to feel safe, respected, heard, and where they can truly recover,” Garcia said.
The company has brought in hospitality experts, including a former Four Seasons program director, to design calming and serene spaces. “Many community mental health centers, they’re not the nicest places you want to go to,” Sokolin noted. “We try to recreate the environment as if you’re going to a very nice hotel in terms of how we treat our members and how the staff speaks to families.”
A Cost-Effective Solution for Payers
Amae Health’s value-based care model aims to provide cost-effective solutions for payers. The company partners with major insurance providers, including Blue Shield of California, Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Magellan, Carelon, and Medicaid plans.
By combining innovative technology, a patient-centered approach, and a commitment to hospitality, Amae Health is striving to transform the landscape of SMI care, offering hope and healing to individuals and families in need.
Amae Health: Revolutionizing Care for Severe Mental Illness with a Whole-Person Approach
[LOS ANGELES, CA] – Amidst the growing national mental health crisis, Amae Health is emerging as a shining example of innovative, compassionate care for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). in a recent interview, experts shed light on how Amae Health’s unique model is not only expanding access to essential mental health services but also addressing the critical need for integrated, long-term support.
Bridging the Gap: From Hospital to Community
Dr. Itai Danovitch, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, emphasizes the significance of Amae Health’s partnership with the hospital system. “Physical and mental health go hand-in-hand,” he explains. “Our investment in Amae Health represents our ongoing commitment to whole-person health.”
This partnership allows for seamless transitions from acute care settings to Amae Health’s community-based programs. “Our community health workers visit Cedars-Sinai hospitals to connect and engage with patients,” adds Sonia Garcia, co-founder and chief product officer of Amae Health.”This allows us to build relationships and ensure a smooth transition to our care.”
A Holistic Approach to Healing
Dr.Maria Garcia, Amae Health’s Chief Medical Officer, highlights the company’s distinctive approach. “We work with them on their life goals and their adherence to some kind of purpose and meaning in their life. We’re helping them return to work or school or re-engage into the community.”
Amae Health goes beyond traditional models by offering a multi-phased care plan. this includes intensive care following hospitalization, gradually transitioning to less frequent visits as individuals progress, ultimately reaching a maintenance phase focused on long-term stability and well-being.
Breaking the Crisis Cycle:
A key differentiator for Amae Health is their focus on preventing recurring crises. Traditional mental health care frequently enough fails individuals with SMI, leading to a vicious cycle of emergency room visits and hospitalization.
“We structure what’s called a warm handoff so that folks can be basically liaisoned over into our care same day, next day, post discharge,” Dr. Garcia explains. This ensures continuity of care and minimizes the risk of relapses.
Expanding Access, Transforming Lives:
Fueled by a recent $30 million Series B funding round led by Cedars-Sinai, Amae Health is poised to expand its reach.Their community-based model, which already operates in Los Angeles, New York City, and Raleigh, will soon be extending to Houston, bringing hope and support to even more individuals in need.
This investment signifies the growing recognition that integrated, accessible mental health care is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity. By addressing the root causes of SMI and providing comprehensive, long-term support, Amae health is paving the way for a brighter future for both individuals and communities.