FamilyWell Health, an integrated women’s mental health organization, has successfully closed an $8 million Series A funding round, led by New Markets Venture Partners. The investment saw participation from various existing and new investors, including .406 Ventures, GreyMatter Capital, The Alix Foundation, The Donna Fund, and The Lee Foundation.

These financial resources will facilitate the company’s national rollout of its maternal mental health model and broaden its services to encompass care for perimenopause and menopause.

Tackling the Crisis in Women’s Mental Health

The mental health needs of women are among the most neglected issues in healthcare, with alarming statistics highlighting critical gaps:

• Suicide Risk: Suicide ranks as the primary cause of maternal fatalities during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
• Screening Deficits: Although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends universal screening, under 10% of Medicaid beneficiaries and fewer than 4% of privately insured individuals are screened for postpartum depression.
• Untreated Conditions: Even among those screened, systemic barriers result in roughly 80% of affected women remaining without treatment.

Established in 2022 by Dr. Jessica Gaulton, a Harvard physician and postpartum depression survivor, FamilyWell integrates virtual mental health services into existing clinics and health systems. This approach has shown efficacy, with 70% of patients achieving clinical remission within four months, and patients being connected to appropriate care within just 24 hours.

Expanding Nationally and Enhancing Midlife Care

The influx of funding is set to propel two main initiatives:

• Maternal Mental Health Growth: Nationwide scaling of FamilyWell’s established perinatal mental health model through collaborations with various health providers. Currently, FamilyWell encompasses over 200,000 lives across five states.
• Menopause Care Integration: Speeding up the expansion of integrated care services tailored to women facing perimenopause and menopause. Approximately 50 million women in the U.S. are in perimenopause, with nearly 70% experiencing notable mental health issues.

Dr. Jessica Gaulton remarked, “This funding enables us to deliver and expand high-quality, integrated mental health care in partnership with women’s health practices and health systems where patients already receive their care—from fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum, through menopause and beyond.”

FamilyWell Academy: Cultivating Future Providers

A pivotal aspect of FamilyWell’s expansion involves developing the next generation of providers through the FamilyWell Academy. This initiative offers certification programs in areas such as Perinatal Behavioral Health and Peri/Menopause Behavioral Health, equipping professionals with the necessary skills to provide evidence-based and compassionate care. This aims to alleviate the provider workforce gap in mental health services for women.