By Erik Osland and Francine Sumner | Point of View
It’s been just over seven years since Francine Sumner’s 16-year-old son, Zach, died by suicide. Those feelings of grief and tremendous loss will be with her always.
“I knew something had to be done because I didn’t ever want there to be a whisper. I didn’t want anybody to ever suspect what happened or assume what happened,” said Ms. Sumner. “I didn’t want any rumors around. This was my son, he was a great person, and he died of mental illness.”
Ms. Sumner channeled that pain into a new mission of helping others. She founded Kid in the Corner, a nonprofit that educates, spreads awareness and connects kids with the community in an effort to shatter the stigma surrounding suicide and mental illness.
“Kids like Zach are feeling really alone and people aren’t reaching out because they don’t know what to say,” said Ms. Sumner. “We can’t change Zach’s story, but we can change the story for the next kid in the corner.”
The growing need for resources and more accessible mental health treatment options is a nationwide issue impacting Americans of all ages.
Recent data shows U.S. rates of suicide by all methods rose steadily for adolescents between 1999 and 2020. During those two decades, more than 47,000 Americans between the ages of 10 and 19 lost their lives to suicide.
Men 75 and older have the highest rate of suicide in the U.S., and U.S. soldiers are now more likely to die from suicide than any other cause.
Erik Osland, co-founder of evolvedMD, experienced the need for better care firsthand, as he and his family watched his father’s mental and physical health decline during the final months and weeks of his life. Like Ms. Sumner, he took action, determined to find solutions.
In 2017, he co-founded Scottsdale-based evolvedMD.
The company was originally created as a primary care medication management program, but transformed into a complete behavioral health solution in response to the high rates of patients with conditions like depression. Even though over 80% of the program’s chronically ill patients screened positive for depression, none of them had access to crucial resources. That’s when evolvedMD started spearheading the integration of behavioral health services in modern primary care.
In 2023, evolvedMD touched the lives of nearly 30,000 patients and their families, who either did not have access to affordable mental health care or felt discouraged from seeking help due to the stigma surrounding mental health. The company has clinicians and patients in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah and will be expanding to Florida in fall of 2024.
“Many people aren’t getting access to mental health services because there aren’t enough providers in their area, it’s too costly or the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues prevent them from reaching out,” said Mr. Osland. “Our approach removes those barriers and the primary care physician can immediately introduce them to an on-site behavioral health therapist. We can do screenings, address symptoms and oftentimes start treatment on the same day.”
This innovative approach to on-site, comprehensive care in a setting where patients feel most comfortable, has allowed evolvedMD to increase access for more than a million patients and growing. It’s also partnering with pediatric providers in Arizona and Colorado to specifically address the ongoing youth mental health crisis.
“Some communities and cultures are still not very accepting of mental health issues,” said Mr. Osland. “Our model allows patients to feel comfortable talking to their trusted doctor about issues they may be experiencing and then get connected to the help they need. The pandemic opened up the lines of communication about mental health, but there is still more work to be done.”
With the new school year underway, Ms. Sumner’s work is ramping up. A way to keep young people connected, and involved with their communities, while also keeping her son’s legacy alive.
“Kids need to be supported, they need to know it’s ok to talk about it, they need to know how to handle it, where to go,” she said. “If we don’t start to shatter the stigma it’s never going to change for the next generation.
Editor’s Note: evolvedMD is a Scottsdale-based company with partners throughout Arizona including Banner Health, HonorHealth, EverNorth, Optum, Phoenix Children’s, TMCOne and many more. To find a provider in your area, visit www.evolvedMD.com.
