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ensure they understand their plan, it’s worth it. That’s cheaper, and safer, than a readmission.” The company deliberately piloted Avery in the lowest-income municipality in the U.S. “It would have been easier to prove the concept elsewhere,” Longoria admits. “But if we can succeed here, we can succeed anywhere.” The next step is applying these lessons to behavioral health. Transitional care services are a natural entry point, but the long-term vision is broader. “We’re not ready to tackle the most severe mental illness populations yet,” Longoria says. “But we can start with meaningful use cases today, and expand step by step. The need is immense.” For Stringham, the urgency is clear. “If 10,000 people signed up tomorrow to become counselors, it would still take years before they’re ready. Technology gives us an immediate way to expand access and reduce stigma.” Learning from the world As Drive Health prepares to present Avery at the eMHIC Congress in Toronto, the team sees the event as an opportunity to listen. “Our goal is to learn,” Longoria says. “We’re U.S. focused right now, but the mission is global. We want to hear pain points from around the world and understand how best to deliver solutions.” Stringham agrees. “Engagement, outreach, and education are fundamental everywhere. Whether in New Zealand, Bangladesh, or the U.S., these are the levers that improve mental health outcomes.
We need smart, evidence-based technology to scale them safely.” Drive Health is clear that it cannot achieve its mission alone. “Success
circumstance where she mis-speaks, a human is alerted to intervene. “Humans make mistakes every day,” Longoria says. “Our aim is to be as safe or safer, as effective or more effective, than the human baseline.” Cybersecurity and data governance are equally central. Drive Health invests heavily in privacy protections and does not use PHI or patient interactions to train its models unless expressly permitted by patients.. “We’re not in the business of harvesting data,” Longoria insists. “Trust is our most important currency.” That sense of mission runs through the company. Jim Stringham left what he describes as his “dream job” to join Drive Health, despite less security and higher risk. “I walked away from a role responsible for 350,000 lives,” Stringham says. “But now have the ability to impact millions of lives around the globe. Avery removes the constraint of limiting who we can and can’t help. It lets us do the greatest good for the most people.” Proving the model In three years, Drive Health has grown to 35 staff and secured contracts with 10 major U.S. hospital systems. Early use cases include nurse-delegated education sessions and post- discharge follow-ups. “These are high-impact interventions that everyone agrees are necessary, but they rarely happen because of workforce limitations,” Longoria explains. “We’re saying: every patient deserves a call 24 hours after discharge, not just the high-risk ones. If it takes two hours to
isn’t just selling technology,” Stringham emphasizes. “It’s partnering with clinicians,
policymakers, and frontline workers to design solutions that really fit.” To that end, the company is inviting readers to meet Avery firsthand, through a QR code that allows anyone to start a conversation with her. “We want professionals to see her as an extension of their practice,” Longoria concludes. “If we can raise the floor of healthcare, we can make the whole system better.”
Avery goes to school
Currently enrolled in nursing school at Arizona State University Credentialing and testing expectations align with standard nursing exam formats Expanded testing elements ensure Avery can meet professional standards
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