The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has expanded its partnership with a Seattle-based company to provide a mobile support platform for mental health and addiction recovery to Texans — including those without health insurance.
The Health and Human Services Commission estimates that 1.6 million adult Texans have a substance abuse disorder.
The Seattle-based health care technology startup WEConnect Health Management, founded in 2014, first partnered with UT Health San Antonio's Be Well Texas program in November, which offers more accessible access to mental health and wellness and addiction recovery treatment via online support services.
According to a Friday announcement by WEConnect Health Management, the Seattle health management company's premium app and mobile support groups, WEConnect Recovery app, which has been available in other markets, will be available to Texans across the state through its newly expanded partnership with UT Health San Antonio and Be Well Texas.
Also eligible to use the service are the 20% of Texans who are uninsured. Daniela Luzi Tudor, CEO and co-founder of WEConnect Health Management, said that more than 5 million Texans do not have health insurance and the company's goal in teaming up with Be Well Texas is to make sure its mobile-based services are available to all uninsured Texans.
Dr. Jennifer Potter, vice president for research and professor of psychiatry at UT Health San Antonio, called the partnership "a great example of how Be Well Texas is leveraging new technology to address one of the most significant issues today.”
The app, WEConnect Health, offers daily mobile support meetings led by peer support staff throughout the day, as well as specialized support meetings. It also lets its members earn rewards by attending meetings and completing other support and self-care activities, giving incentives for users to continue to work on their recovery.
A 2019 study of 190 Pennsylvania users showed that the WEConnect app was associated with a 35% higher rate in participants filling prescriptions for medication-assisted treatment, and a 76% higher rate of continuing to follow up with their primary care provider about their recovery.
UT Health San Antonio's Be Well Texas Clinic offers telemedicine services such as medication management, evidence-based counseling for individuals and family, medication-assisted treatment, peer recover support, case management and other therapeutic services supervised by board-certified physicians in addiction psychiatry. All patients are accepted regardless of ability to pay, with a sliding-fee scale, no-pay, self-pay and insurance options available.
