Locus Health is excited to announce their strategic partnership with Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation (OHHF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the unmet needs of heart families. The collaboration provides a unique platform to virtually support the mental wellness of heart warriors, their families, and caregivers through Ollie’s Branch.
The telehealth solution is a customizable version of the Locus Health platform, which enables Ollie’s Branch therapists and clients to connect via a secure app for therapy sessions conveniently on their own desktop or mobile device, or a device provided to them by Locus as needed. This project allows OHHF to reach an underserved, vulnerable community that may lack access to technology, WiFi, and/or cellular to reach OHHF’s therapist community and receive timely and individualized mental health services.
Ollie’s Branch clients can access resources and communicate with their matched therapist all in one place. Clients must be enrolled in Ollie’s Branch to participate.
Beth Rumack RN, MSN, MBA NNP-BC, Chief Operating Officer at OHHF, has been working on this partnership and is ecstatic for its launch. “Our partnership with Locus Health is a life-saving gift for our heart community and allows Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation to address greater needs that previously we could not do on our own,” she says.
OHHF and Locus Health recognize the systemic barriers that people may face when accessing mental health, especially among under-resourced populations. Thus, this collaboration aims to provide an accessible and seamless experience for those seeking the free mental health support offered by Ollie’s Branch.
“The Locus Health platform has been serving the high-risk interstage cardiology community with over 30 programs across the United States and Canada. It is an honor to collaborate with Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation and continue to support this vulnerable population by extending free mental health care to heart warriors, their families, and caregivers. We are so excited that Locus can support Ollie’s Branch mission by creating equitable access through an innovative use of our platform,” says Nancy Addison, VP of Clinical Services at Locus Health.
This collaboration would not have been possible without the generous donation of Jack and Kathy MacDonough, who dedicated $35,000 in honor of Danny Sullivan, Kathy’s brother, who passed away from congenital heart disease.
About Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation: The Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to addressing the unmet needs of heart families while transforming the future of pediatric heart care. OHHF provides access to services without barriers, such as free mental health services and financial support, while working to improve outcomes in pediatric heart care. OHHF collaborates with partners and innovators to wrap heart families in love to eliminate the traumas endured by living with a chronic illness. Learn more at https://theohhf.org/