Deploying a Mental Health App for Underserved Populations

Amid worsening economic, environmental and political challenges, Americans are struggling to maintain their mental and emotional wellbeing. Various digital health efforts are underway to stem the tide of mental health needs nationwide; however, underserved communities are often left behind. MyCHN, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Texas, hopes to close this gap by offering a free digital mental health application to its uninsured, underinsured and low-income patient population. The American mental health crisis had been decades in the making when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. During the pandemic, the crisis ballooned, with the percentage of adults receiving mental health treatment within a year jumping from 19.2% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2023, one in five American adults was experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression.