There are close to 60 million American adults with a mental health disorder; a whopping 20 million of them suffer from a substance use disorder (SUD), whether it’s widely publicized opioid addictions or the even farther-reaching but silently accepted crisis of alcohol addiction.1

That’s 1 in 10 adults. These are chronic illnesses deserving of coordinated, long-term outpatient-centric care, yet are far too often treated as acute manifestations in expensive, temporary inpatient settings. I’ve been searching for a passionate team with an accessible, patient and data-driven approach to tackle these chronic disorders, and am super excited to say I’ve found that team in Path (now called Rula). Josh and his team in LA are building a network of the best evidenced-based providers (doctors, therapists, coaches) and in-house care navigation to the employees and families of large employers. We led a $5.35 million investment along with an experienced group of healthcare investors such as SemperVirens and Meridian Street Capital as well as HR leaders from the biggest forward thinking employers like Disney, US Foods, Cisco, Chevron, etc.

I met Josh at the beginning of the year when he was still alone researching. Except his research involved working the front desk and scheduling at a rehab clinic, talking to the best employer programs in the country with <10% relapse vs. the average of 70% (if you’re wondering, those would be at airlines), and learning the leading treatment protocols from acclaimed SUD clinics at Harvard and Mass General. Along the way he assembled an incredible group of advisors who led health and benefits programs for the aforementioned large employers, getting their feedback on weekly calls. Lastly, and most importantly, over many months Josh worked with, then recruited, full-time 2 co-founders in Gabe and Greg on partnerships and product respectively. I believe you are the quality of the people you surround yourself with, so suffice it to say I met both the week they joined, had a strategy session all together on Sunday and put in term sheet on Monday.

I firmly believe in the guiding principles behind Path’s approach to serving employees and their families with SUDs:

• Data-driven, clinically grounded treatment protocols: different treatments work for different patients, and the data is fragmented with high noise and variance. Gathering, analyzing and continuously iterating on the data from providers and patients is critical towards identifying and delivering the best, personalized care.

• Triage to the most appropriate care settings: inpatient care is designed for severe, acute episodes. The rest, or 80% of care, should be delivered in various outpatient environments and over telemedicine.

• Accessibility to addiction-specialized doctors and therapists within 48 hours: there is no substitute for building a best-in-class provider network, and ensuring they’re available wherever and whenever.

• Hands-on care navigation: the healthcare landscape is heavily siloed. Without in-house, certified staff coordinating across different providers, patients are largely left to fend for themselves in between physician, therapy and support group sessions. These are the moments when patients are most vulnerable to cravings and relapses.

Alcohol and drug addictions are extremely challenging, chronic illnesses, and patients need care and follow-on treatment for months to many years. If you’re passionate about advancing care for those suffering from SUDs and a believer in the long-term approach above, please reach out to the Path team.