Virtual care company Teladoc is partnering with pediatric virtual behavioral health company Brightline to extend mental healthcare options for children, adolescents and their families through Teladoc's platform.

Brightline offers virtual behavioral health services to children and their families. The company works with employers and major insurers to provide accessible coaching and therapy services.  

Through the partnership, members under 18 and their caregivers will have access to Brightline's mental healthcare solutions for a wide range of conditions through Teladoc's virtual "front door." 

Teladoc previously offered services to individuals 13 years and older. Thanks to the partnership, its offerings will expand to include virtual mental healthcare services for individuals from zero to 13. 

The demand for addressing youth mental health needs comes from health plans and employers, Dr. Vidya Raman-Tangella, chief medical officer at Teladoc, told MobiHealthNews. 

"They are asking us, 'what about these younger individuals? What about the young adults? What about children?'" Dr. Raman-Tangella said. "And it's mind-blowing the kinds of issues we're seeing these days that we didn't see five to 10 years ago."

Almost 20% of children and young people ages three to 17 in the U.S. have an emotional,  mental, behavioral or developmental disorder, and there was a 40% increase in suicidal behaviors among high school students in the decade before 2019, according to an NIH report. 

"Those folks will have access to this robust service," Myra Altman, chief clinical officer at Brightline, told MobiHealthNews. 

"It can be confusing for folks when they have a lot of benefits but they don't know what benefits they have access to. So often, I think, people don't know where to look. And so if you have that one streamlined place where you can look and be guided, that will be incredibly helpful."

Dr. Raman-Tangella said it is not enough to just care for the child or the teenager. Companies have to think about the continuity of care and take care of the family.

"Family members, caregivers, they go through their own ups and downs. How many of us know people with children going through challenges and you see the stress in the mother's eyes? We want to be able to take care of them," she said.

The companies said the youth mental health services will complement Teladoc and Brightline's current offerings, allowing for continuity of care and helping family members struggling to address the needs of these children. 

"I know kids that have difficulty accessing mental health care. So, expanding access to that type of care is very important and valuable," Dr. Raman-Tangella said.

The youth mental health offering will be in place for select clients in 2024 via Teladoc's platform with the broader launch in 2025 for the general public.