Bend Health Recognized for Innovation, Leadership, and Impact in 2025

At Bend Health, we believe that every child deserves timely, high-quality mental health care, and we’ve been working tirelessly to transform access to pediatric behavioral health. This year, we’re proud to share that our work is being recognized in a big way. Bend Health and Dr. Monika Roots, our co-founder, chief medical officer and president, have been honored with multiple awards celebrating innovation, impact, and leadership.

Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies 2025 – Healthcare Category

We’re thrilled to be named to Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025 in the healthcare category, recognizing companies that are reshaping industries through bold ideas and meaningful change.

Fast Company highlighted how Bend Health is redefining access to youth mental health care at a time when 71% of U.S. counties lack pediatric psychiatrists and too many kids struggle to get support. Specifically, Fast Company recognized:

• Psych Urgent Care – Our first-of-its-kind program that functions as an “urgent care” for youth mental health, providing same-day or next-day access to therapy and psychiatry.
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• Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (Acute Stabilization Program) – A program designed to support youth (ages 7-25) transitioning out of inpatient care who still need intensive therapy.
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• AI-driven care adjustments – Our AI-powered system continuously monitors patient data to flag when a child may need more or less intensive support, helping clinicians adjust treatment plans quickly.
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• Measurable impact – In 2024, more than 75% of youth struggling with self-harm saw improvements in anxiety symptoms, and 80% reported improvements in depression after using Bend Health’s services. Even caregivers felt the impact, with 77% said they slept better, and 73% reported lower stress after their child started using Bend.

Read more about Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies 2025 list.

Fierce Healthcare’s Fierce 15 – 2025

Bend Health also was named to Fierce Healthcare’s Fierce 15 of 2025 list, recognizing the most promising and innovative healthcare companies of the year. Fierce highlighted our family-centered, multidisciplinary approach, which includes coaching, therapy, and psychiatry, in a virtual setting to fill critical gaps in youth mental health care.

They also recognized our Psych Urgent Care and Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (Acute Stabilization Program), both launched last year, which provide rapid access to care for kids in crisis, helping them avoid unnecessary ER visits and transition to the right level of support.

Bend Health’s technology-driven approach was another key factor in our selection. We practice measurement-based care with 16 different patient-reported outcome measures, ensuring data-driven, high-quality treatment. Our AI-powered system helps clinicians reduce administrative burdens, flag patients who may need a different level of care, and analyze trends to improve outcomes.

Read more about the Fierce 15 2025 list.

Inc. Female Founders 500 – Dr. Monika Roots

We’re especially proud to share that Dr. Monika Roots, our co-founder, chief medical officer and president, has been named to Inc.’s Female Founders 500 list for 2025. This honor celebrates female entrepreneurs who are driving change and redefining industries. Monika’s leadership, vision, and deep passion for youth mental health continue to push Bend Health forward, helping us make high-quality care faster, easier, and more accessible for families everywhere.

Read more about the Inc. Female Founders 500 2025 list.

What’s Next?

These honors are a testament to the work we’re doing, the families we serve, and the team that makes it all possible. While we’re incredibly proud of these recognitions, we know the work isn’t done. We’ll continue to push for better, faster, and more affordable solutions for youth mental health—because every child deserves access to care that works.

Thank you to our team, partners, and the families who trust us—we couldn’t do this without you.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we continue our mission to transform youth mental health care.

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