Access to behavioral health care for children and families will soon become a lot easier.

This month, Brightline announced a nationwide expansion of its Brightline Connect platform, a first-of-its-kind behavioral health coaching programs and digital platform to make virtual pediatric behavioral health care more available for families across the country.

Brightline launched behavioral health coaching for children, teenagers, parents and caregivers in the spring of 2021 to give families tangible support in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Navigating at-home learning throughout a pandemic is still an issue parents and caretakers around the country are dealing with and Brightline aims to build a unique team of expert behavioral health coaches who are specifically trained to deliver programs tailored to the needs of children and teenagers.

Naomi Allen, Brightline’s CEO and co-founder, said in a news release this is the time parents can finally get the help they’ve been looking for.

“Many of us at Brightline have first-hand experience raising children with behavioral health conditions, so we know what’s at stake when those challenges begin to interfere with life at home or at work,” Allen said. “That’s why we’re so excited to bring Brightline’s Connect platform and coaching programs to all 50 states. With access to behavioral health services that are based on the specific needs of their kids, parents can finally get the help they’ve been looking for.”

The expansion comes at a time when more than 25% of high school students are reporting worsening emotional and mental health and nearly half of parents saying the pandemic contributed to a greater need for them to seek mental health care for their children.

Brightline also announced it has expanded access to its clinical services to three states — Florida, Illinois and Texas — for families with a clinical-level need or in need of a clinical diagnosis. Already operating in California, Massachusetts, and Washington, Brightline hopes to offer clinical services in all 50 states.

“The vast majority of families in the U.S. do not have access to any behavioral health services for their children, a situation that has only gotten worse during the coronavirus pandemic,” Peter Antall, Chief Medical Officer of Brightline, said in a news release. “We know that roughly half of all lifetime mental health disorders emerge by a child’s mid-teens, so the need for first-line intervention is clear. Brightline offers a huge opportunity to address this unmet pediatric need through digital resources, parent coaching, and clinical care.”

This latest Brightline expansion is a result of the $72 million the Palo Alto, California-based company brought in as part of the pre-emptive Series B funding round led by GV (formerly Google Ventures), along with participation from new investors Optum Ventures, 7wireVentures and Gaingels. The funding announcement in June brought the amount so far raised by the company to nearly $100 million.

Written by Patrick Filbin