he Brief

^{Vitalize Care is a platform dedicated to enhancing the mental well-being of healthcare professionals, connecting them with experienced coaches and peers through private or group sessions, while also offering valuable insights and data to healthcare employers, promoting a shared understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by healthcare workers.}

Founders

Veeraj Shah

Sanketh Andhavarapu

Nikhil D'Souza

Y Combinator (W23) Just Launched

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^{David J. Phillips @davj / 7:30 PM PST • January 30, 2023}

Recent headlines of nursing strikes, clinician suicides, and high turnover rates in the healthcare industry indicate a worrying and widespread problem. Approximately 60% of healthcare professionals experience moral injury and burnout, resulting in billions of dollars lost for the healthcare system, widespread staffing shortages, and a decline in the delivery of high-quality patient care.

With this in mind, the Vitalize Care team is steadfast in their endeavor to enhance the mental well-being of healthcare professionals. Rooted in comprehensive academic research, they are innovating a care model that specifically addresses the unique difficulties faced by healthcare workers.

Healthcare professionals can access Vitalize Care's platform to connect with experienced and certified coaches and peers, offering a shared perspective not commonly found through traditional therapy options — without the month-long wait times or fear of jeopardizing their licenses; issues typically associated with more conventional approaches.

For healthcare employers, Vitalize offers valuable insights into their staff's mental health by presenting data on relevant trends, along with customized suggestions for promoting and maintaining their well-being. The Vitalize model is estimated to potentially generate cost savings of up to $4.2 million for an average hospital based on published data from small-scale coaching interventions.

During the COVID pandemic, the founders devoted thousands of hours to volunteering at medical facilities. During this time, they heard the accounts of front-line workers, and noted the shortcomings of existing solutions. They quickly realized how broken the offered solutions were. Thus, a goal to fix them was inspired.

Existing solutions suffer from low engagement rates of less than 5% due to: prolonged wait periods for appointments and restrictions on session numbers, therapists who are not conversant with the realities of the healthcare industry, inadequate attention to the unique stressors faced by healthcare professionals, and a scarcity of peer support and healthcare-oriented communities.

The Vitalize Care team is dedicated to enhancing the psychological well-being of healthcare practitioners through a novel approach that is centered on integrating real-world experiences and perspectives into a virtual care model. Pioneering a novel model of care, informed by years of academic research, and developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals at every stage of the process, the Vitalize team brings well-rounded expertise to the table. Prior to the formation of Vitalize, they published the largest study on PTSD among clinicians during COVID and collaborated with the US Surgeon General on clinician mental health initiatives.

The Vitalize mobile app enables healthcare professionals to connect with experienced and certified coaches, as well as peers who understand their challenges, through private or group sessions. It enables anonymity through real-time voice modulation in group sessions and enhances the experience with text-based support and access to a comprehensive library of mindfulness resources.

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Share the news and support the mental wellness of healthcare professionals. Introduce the Vitalize team to anyone you know who works in healthcare, including friends, family, colleagues, and those in hospital leadership.