Pelago

🚨Calling all engineers 🚨 We're growing our AI engineering team. If you're excited about building AI that solves real-world problems at scale, we'd love to hear from you. Recently, our team built and deployed a HIPAA-eligible AI assistant in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). It's one example of how we're using the latest AI technologies to help our clinicians spend less time on admin and more time delivering care. See what our engineering team has been building with Amazon Web Services (AWS) at the link in the comments, and explore our open engineering roles here: https://hubs.la/Q04qxMmC0.

Roughly half of people with a mental health condition are already using ChatGPT as a therapist. People want immediate, accessible support, but general-purpose AI wasn't built to deliver mental healthcare. That's why we built Sona, a voice-first AI mental health specialist. Sona helps people recognize patterns, build healthier habits, and access support before challenges become crises. When additional care is needed, Sona connects members with Pelago's clinical team, helping ensure people get the right level of care at the right time. 🎥 Watch the full episode here: https://hubs.la/Q04qk9JD0. And head to the link in the comments to learn more about Sona.

79% of EAP referrals now route to counseling, up from 71% the year prior. It’s a clear signal that employees are looking for support, but it also raises a bigger question for benefits leaders: are people being matched to the care they need, or simply routed to the most familiar option? Sona was built to create a better starting point. Pelago’s voice-first AI mental health specialist helps members begin sooner, talk through what they’re experiencing, and move toward in-network clinical care when that’s the right next step. Learn more about Sona: https://hubs.la/Q04q6R5p0. 

Yusuf Sherwani, M.D. sat down with Norman Volsky🎙️ 🏥 📉 on the Digital Health Heavyweights Podcast to talk about where behavioral healthcare is headed, and one topic kept coming up: value. In a recent actuarial analysis, Aon compared Pelago participants against a matched control group using the gold standard methodology employers rely on to evaluate healthcare programs. The result? 5.6:1 ROI. That's $5.60 in medical savings for every $1 invested. What's especially encouraging is where those savings came from. Treating substance use not only improves behavioral health outcomes, but can also reduce costs associated with chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, MSK conditions, and more. Watch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eVhEP2G7.

Our Client Success team recently gathered for an evening of team bonding at Beat The Bomb. Because building strong client relationships starts with building strong team relationships. It was a great chance to connect outside of the day-to-day, get to know each other better, and have a little fun along the way. If you’re interested in joining a team that works hard and supports each other, we’re #hiring for a Senior Client Success Manager in our NYC office. Apply here: https://hubs.la/Q04p_xKz0. 

“If someone wants to get help through Pelago, I want them to know that there’s no judgment. There’s also accountability, because someone will hold you to what you want to do.” For Pelago member Mary Alice, drinking had become a habit that was hard to break. When she decided she was ready for support, Pelago helped her stay accountable through daily check-ins, honest conversations, and compassionate support from our Clinical Team. Thank you to Mary Alice for letting us share her story and bring awareness to how effective Pelago can be for those looking to change their substance use habits.

Our mascot, Archie the pelican, had the best time at our team offsite in Colorado. He got to visit Golden, went on a hike, and even got new headshots taken. Click through for some highlights and stay tuned for more of Archie’s adventures.

Millions of people are already turning to AI for mental health support, making safety one of the most important questions in behavioral healthcare. This new piece from Harvard Medical School captures the complexity of that conversation, from clinical evidence and privacy to human oversight and crisis escalation. One point especially resonated with me: mental health AI needs to be designed with clinical rigor from the start. That’s the approach Pelago takes with Sona, the AI mental health specialist. Sona was built with clinical oversight, risk detection, and escalation protocols so members can get support earlier, with human care available when it’s needed. AI has tremendous potential to expand access and help people feel supported between moments of care. Realizing that potential will depend on how thoughtfully we design, evaluate, and integrate these tools into care delivery. Read this excellent article by Allison E. at Harvard Medical School on one of healthcare’s most important emerging conversations here: https://lnkd.in/gyyKjjvr.

According to Harvard Business Review, therapy/companionship was the #1 use case for generative AI for the second year in a row. AI is already becoming a front door to mental health support, but generic AI chatbots weren’t built for clinical care. They can be unstructured, unsafe, and disconnected from the human oversight that mental health requires. That’s why we built Sona, our AI mental health specialist, with clinicians involved from the start and human supervision built into the loop. Responsible AI in healthcare means clinicians need full visibility into what the AI system is saying, when it escalates, and where human care is needed. Our co-founder Yusuf Sherwani, M.D. joined Christina Farr on the Lifers podcast to discuss what it takes to build AI for care responsibly, and why the future of mental health support needs both intelligence and oversight. Listen to the full episode: https://hubs.la/Q04pj5xG0.

Behavioral health is changing, and so are the ways people access care. Behavioral Health Business recently featured Pelago and Sona, our voice-first AI mental health specialist. The article explores why we believe the future of behavioral healthcare depends on delivering the right level of care at the right time, with AI and clinicians working together. Sona meets people before challenges become crises, helping them recognize patterns, build healthier habits, and access support earlier. When additional care is needed, Sona connects members with Pelago's clinical team. Our goal is simple: make high quality behavioral healthcare more accessible, more affordable, and more effective. Read the full story by Ashleigh Hollowell, M.S. in Behavioral Health Business: https://hubs.la/Q04p8MJv0.