What is the name of your solution?
Azadi LAnguage Analysis Platform
Provide a one-line summary of your solution.
Azadi is a cutting-edge language analysis platform designed specifically to identify biomarkers of mental illness from free text.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Baltimore, MD, USAIn what country is your solution team headquartered?
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Because of longstanding systemic injustice, there are many barriers that limit access to high-quality, culturally-informed mental health care for BIPOC communities.
With 136 million people visiting the emergency room each year, and 15-20% of those visits are related to mental health, we face a significant problem in this country. Mental health disparities within BIPOC communities, particularly among young people, are a pressing concern. Research has shown that BIPOC youth face higher rates of mental illness compared to their white counterparts. Understanding the factors contributing to these disparities is crucial in addressing the unique challenges faced by BIPOC youth and teens in accessing mental health support.
1 in 4 American teens need mental health support and treatment. There is an insufficient number of therapists, leading to a supply and demand problem for mental health services, which is significantly worse in communities of color and underserved populations, leading to three problems:
1. A revolving door for ER visits around mental health needs;
2. A waiting room problem – with people often waiting months to see a mental health specialist –
which leads us back to problem #1; and
3. A lack of culturally competent care - 75% of therapists are White; 40% of people in this country are non-White
Access to mental health services for underserved populations is at crisis levels.The problem is real and personal. All of us know someone struggling with mental health issues.
We address the supply and demand and “waiting room” problem by supporting people today in their communities and providing support before therapy and/or between appointments. Our aim is to catch people before they are in crisis and to make health equity a reality. Azadi solves the problem of access and stigma while reducing the cost of total care. We deliver culturally-centered,evidence-based self-care for BIPOC teens and adults while reducing the cost and time commitment of in-person therapy.
Azadi Health was founded with the mission of making mental health services and support radically accessible and inclusive for BIPOC and low-income populations.
What is your solution?
Our solution is a language analysis platform, which evaluates the text and speech used on our platform by individuals, in order to predict potential health needs and also to collect data in order to develop better diagnostic tools so that practitioners can better help their patients. At present, no data exists with regards to Black and Brown patients and mental health needs. We intend to help fill that void.
We leverage the therapeutic power of peer groups using social media-styled tools inside secure private networks while offering tools for well-being, including coaching and teletherapy. It’s a conversational A.I.- based tool that uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand the patient’s conversations and provide personalized care and therapy. Azadi Health's innovative app utilizes advanced language analysis technology to understand emotions and predict psychological distress. By analyzing the language used in text-based communication, the app can identify patterns and indicators of emotional well-being or potential mental health concerns. This unique feature allows individuals to gain insights into their own emotional state and seek appropriate support when needed. Azadi Health is committed to destigmatizing mental health and providing a continuum of support for under-resourced populations, ensuring that everyone has access to the care they deserve.
Unlike our competitors, therapy referral services, we are a therapy last vs. therapy first solution, specifically because of the supply and demand problem that exists. We offer a graduated 3-step approach:
1. Moderated peer-to-peer support groups. Research shows that peer support significantly improves mental health outcomes.
2. 24/7 text-based coaching by a licensed social worker and/or coach.
3. Referral to culturally competent therapy if necessary.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Azadi is focused on providing access to Mental Health services for underrepresented BIPOC populations. U.S. expenditure on MH services will reach 238 billion by 2022. Medicaid (90 Million People) is the single largest payer of mental health services in the U.S. BH costs are out of control; poor clinical outcomes and unexpected hospital visits are big contributors. Azadi’s ambition is to fix this, while providing greater access and reducing costs, in a scalable way.
Azadi solves for Behavioral Health Disparities and inequities for low income and BIPOC communities who do not traditionally engage in clinical services due to high stigma and lack of access. Women, Children and racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by behavioral health conditions. We address the growing shortage of and access to behavioral health workers, particularly in underserved areas, where there are an insufficient number of behavioral health clinicians to address the growing needs of individuals seeking treatment.
How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?
The two co-founders are previous founders of another Mental Health platform and come from unique backgrounds. We know a lot about overcoming obstacles and achieving success is what we’re made of. We both grew up with surviving on welfare, food stamps and Medicaid. We know first-hand what it’s like to be denied access to high-quality medical care. We have more than 10 years of experience dealing with and navigating the mental health arena on behalf of my twin daughters who are now 22. One is diagnosed bi-polar, the other has multiple brain injury, and both have suffered complex trauma and PTSD. As bi-racial young people, who identify as Black, navigating the health care system, and finding care and support with cultural competency has proven difficult at best. There has to be a better way, and this is what Azadi seeks to address. There is No Better teacher than experience.
Our
Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?
Increase access to and quality of health services for medically underserved groups around the world (such as refugees and other displaced people, women and children, older adults, and LGBTQ+ individuals).Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?
What is your solution’s stage of development?
GrowthWhy are you applying to Solve?
We are applying to solve because we recognize the tremendous value of the mentor and peer network MIT brings to bear. We also welcome the opportunity for the "Solver Team" to pick apart every hypothesis we have used to develop the Azadi Platform.
Because of longstanding systemic injustice, there are many barriers that limit access to high-quality, culturally-informed mental health care for BIPOC communities. We with the help of MIT/Solve will eradicate those barriers.
We believe there is still much to be achieved in health equity matters. Emerging technologies – when designed by the right hands and for the right purposes – can help all populations have a fair and just opportunity to attain their optimal health.
In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?
Who is the Team Lead for your solution?
Rodney Bell, CEO
What makes your solution innovative?
Azadi is a cutting-edge language analysis platform designed specifically to identify biomarkers of mental illness from free text. Its purpose is to analyze the language used by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) young people to provide valuable insights into their mental health. By analyzing patterns in writing and speech, Azadi offers a unique and powerful tool for understanding the experiences and needs of this population.
Azadi employs sophisticated language analysis algorithms that detect patterns and linguistic markers associated with mental health conditions. These algorithms have been trained using a vast corpus of text data, enabling Azadi to identify subtle cues in writing that may indicate the presence of mental illness.
Through its analysis, Azadi can identify key linguistic markers such as changes in sentiment, emotionality, word choice, or syntactic patterns that have been linked to specific mental health conditions. By recognizing these markers, Azadi can offer potentially life-saving insights into the mental well-being of BIPOC young people, empowering them and healthcare providers with vital information to support their mental health needs.
Describe in simple terms how and why you expect your solution to have an impact on the problem.
Mental health disparities within BIPOC communities, particularly among young people, are a pressing concern. Research has shown that BIPOC youth face higher rates of mental illness compared to their white counterparts. Understanding the factors contributing to these disparities is crucial in addressing the unique challenges faced by BIPOC individuals in accessing mental health support.
Various factors contribute to mental health disparities among BIPOC young people, including systemic racism, cultural stigma, limited access to quality healthcare, and socioeconomic inequalities. These intersecting factors create barriers that prevent many BIPOC individuals from seeking and receiving adequate mental health care. Recognizing these challenges is essential in developing targeted interventions and support systems.
Free text, such as personal narratives, Peer Group Posts, or online forum discussions and Chat Sessions, offers a rich source of information for mental health researchers. Unlike structured questionnaires or surveys, free text allows individuals to express their experiences and emotions more naturally and unfiltered. This unstructured data can provide valuable insights into the unique lived experiences of individuals with mental illness.
What are your impact goals for your solution and how are you measuring your progress towards them?
1.)
Establish BIPOC-specific language database.
There is a critical lack of data describing the mental health needs of BIPOC populations. This lack of data has prevented researchers and mental health care providers from making accurate, effective recommendations to address discrepancies in mental health care for over 75 years. Our Impact will address this decades-long need. This is measured by the growing size of our dataset.
2. Identification of mental health language markers and word patterns through machine learning.
Existing mental health care algorithms are built from the data and geared to the needs of majority white patients. BIPOC communities face specific stressors and contributors to poor mental health, including discrimination and other race-based stressors. Furthermore, the language used by BIPOC and other minority communities can vary widely from majority white populations. Here, we begin the task of identifying linguistic patterns and word usage specific to BIPOC that correlate to mental health concerns.
Our primary objective is to identify BIPOC-specific language patterns that indicate psychological distress and to identify words or phrases predictive of certain mental health states
Describe the core technology that powers your solution.
Azadi is built around AMAZON Health Lake. It’s a conversational A.I.- based tool that uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand the patient’s conversations and provide personalized care and therapy
The core technologies are
Amazon SageMaker: Used for building, training, and deploying machine learning models.
Amazon Comprehend: Applied for natural language processing tasks, extracting insights and sentiments from textual data.
Which of the following categories best describes your solution?
A new application of an existing technology
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:
https://www.azadihealth.com
In which countries do you currently operate?
Which, if any, additional countries will you be operating in within the next year?
How many people work on your solution team?
We have a professional full-time staff of 6. Four developers and two Business Developers. We leverage four outsourced developers.
How long have you been working on your solution?
We have worked together as a team on Azadi for the past two years.
Tell us about how you ensure that your team is diverse, minimizes barriers to opportunity for staff, and provides a welcoming and inclusive environment for all team members.
“Azadi is made up of people of all ages, from all walks of life, working side-by-side to build resillient communities. Together, we strive to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender expression, gender identity, ideology, income, national origin, race or sexual orientation has access to quality mental healthcare services. Our core values are caring, honesty, respect and responsibility — they guide everything we do.”
Above is our DEI statement. Our entire team adheres to the above.
What is your business model?
Ours is a B2B2C model.Our Customers are Medicaid Plans,Comunnity Health Centers,UNiversity Health Systems and Insurance Payers. The Plans offer and market Azadi to its members. Sanitas is sold as a "PLAN BENEFIT" We charge the plan/payer a monthly per member per month annual subscription and the plan/payer makes the platform available free to its members.
Azadi's two-sided business model is defined by the dependency that each side of the market has on one another, and both are receiving an equally valuable offer. On one side, members have free access to culturally competent coaches and peer groups, and on the other side, our community partners and insurance payors get 1.) BIPOC members as well as services to the organization 2.) Real-time access to aggregated data on BIPOC emotional wellness 3.) Real-time alerts in escalated crises, and trauma exposure.
Using the Power of Data to Save Millions In Spending: our partners can also have up-to-date access to data on Sanitas's members' emotional well-being and use that data to make organizational decisions.
Azadi provides a value proposition deeply appealing to both sides of its customer segment through its two-sided business model. Beautifully intertwining profit and purpose to create an impactful business.
Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?
Organizations (B2B)What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable, and what evidence can you provide that this plan has been successful so far?
Azadi has been funded through investment from seed-stage investors, and we have also generated revenue. Our investors include JumpStart Foundry, StartUp Health, Techstars Equitech, Los Angeles County, and Prosper Health Tech.
Not only does Azadi yield positive mental health outcomes, but it is also good business. We have generated $275,000.00 in ARR and are on track to reach $500,000.00 in ARR by Q3 2024.
Our current clients include national non-profits, community-based non-profits, public school districts, and Medicaid recipients.
Solution Team
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Mr. Rodney Bell Founder and CEO, Azadi Health, Inc.
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Our Organization
Azadi Health