Pinehurst Medical Clinic Expands Mental Health Services with April Health Partnership

Pinehurst Medical Clinic (PMC) is expanding its mental health services through a new partnership with April Health, a Wysa company specializing in psychiatric support. This collaboration aims to address the growing demand for accessible, coordinated, and evidence-based behavioral healthcare within the community.

PMC, which serves nearly 60,000 primary care patients annually across seven clinic locations and delivers over 230,000 primary care appointments each year, has observed a significant increase in patients seeking help for anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and mental health challenges linked to physical conditions. These conditions include ongoing pain, hormonal changes, cardiometabolic disease, and sleep disorders. The new service is currently being implemented across PMC’s Primary Care teams, encompassing both Internal Medicine and Family Medicine, and involves more than 70 primary care providers.

“As a primary care physician, I recognize the need for expanded access to mental health care in our community,” stated Dr. Jennifer Szurgot, PMC Primary Care Physician and Current Physician President of PMC. “Our partnership with April Health allows our primary care providers to collaborate with behavioral health care managers as well as consult with a psychiatrist when indicated to best support our patients. We are excited to expand the mental health care services we offer to meet all the healthcare needs of our community.”

The partnership with April Health will strengthen and scale PMC’s existing team-based approach to mental health care. Patients will continue to receive coordinated behavioral health support, now enhanced by access to April Health’s psychiatrists and behavioral health care managers. This collaborative model emphasizes proactive communication and shared clinical decision-making, ensuring a more integrated and effective care experience.

Beyond direct clinical services, PMC patients will also have access to the Wysa app, a HIPAA-compliant platform. This app provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based exercises, emotional support tools, and skill-building activities designed to help patients manage stress, develop coping strategies, and build resilience between appointments. The app’s use is overseen by the patient’s care manager, ensuring personalized and appropriate support.

Brandon Enfinger, CEO of PMC, emphasized the importance of this expansion, stating, “Our community’s access to mental health support is of utmost importance, and this partnership allows us to grow related resources and access to vital care. By integrating April Health’s psychiatric expertise, interactions with behavioral health care managers and digital tools with our longstanding wellness and primary care services, we are offering a more robust, accessible and coordinated mental health care program than ever before.”

Jesse Weinburg, founder of April Health, highlighted the burden currently placed on primary care teams regarding mental health. “Primary care teams are carrying an extraordinary share of the mental health burden,” he said. “By combining April Health’s Collaborative Care Model with engaging, interactive CBT tools on the Wysa app, chosen for each patient according to their individual needs by our care team, with oversight from our psychiatrists, PMC is bringing its patients a level of accessibility, quality and continuity that sets a new standard for integrated behavioral healthcare.”

This partnership represents a commitment from PMC to integrate behavioral health as a core component of comprehensive, whole-person healthcare. By combining in-person therapy, psychiatric expertise, and readily available digital support, the clinic aims to reduce wait times, improve patient outcomes, and ensure that individuals in the Sandhills region of North Carolina have access to the mental health care they need within a trusted local healthcare system. The goal is to provide a more seamless and effective pathway to care for those struggling with mental and behavioral health challenges, recognizing the interconnectedness of mental and physical well-being.