Behavioral Health Tech Impact: A National Effort Launches to Accelerate Youth Behavioral Health Access

New platform supports youth, families, and innovators in scaling impactful mental health solutions.

PHOENIX, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official launch of Behavioral Health Tech Impact (BHT Impact), a new national platform designed to accelerate youth behavioral health innovation and support youth and families to become designers, builders, and future leaders. BHT Impact is a fiscally sponsored project of Moore Impact, a 501(c)3 public charity, and funded by Pivotal, a group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates.

More than 5.3 million adolescents ages 12–17 have a current, diagnosed mental health condition. Yet 20% in this age group report having unmet mental health care needs. This gap highlights an urgent need for more resources. Innovators are stepping forward with solutions but struggle to navigate systemic barriers such as Medicaid reimbursement or align on measurement tools to communicate impact. As a result, behavioral tech services and support still remain out of reach for those who need it most.

"There are so many innovative and courageous leaders focusing on youth behavioral health but time and time again, I hear them discuss how difficult it is to navigate our complex systems," said Solome Tibebu, Executive Chair, BHT Impact. "BHT Impact will make it easier to bring effective solutions to life so that we can accelerate these incredible innovators and support our future youth leaders."

The platform will begin providing free resources and programs to help innovators scale youth-focused solutions, navigate Medicaid, and measure their impact to help solutions reach more families in need. Youth and families will remain central to BHT Impact, with their voices amplified across all the platform's activities and network to ensure solutions are reflecting their needs. The BHT Impact team will also launch multi-year initiatives to address the system-wide issue of demonstrating which solutions deliver value, impact and sustainability.

"At Pivotal, we believe innovation in mental health care is essential to meet the changing needs of young people", said Kelsey Noonan, Program Strategy Director of Pivotal Ventures. "Traditional models like clinics and adult-centered approaches miss the mark in reaching adolescents digitally, culturally, and developmentally. BHT Impact supports innovators who are breaking down those barriers, ensuring youth and families help design solutions built to last."

"We don't see youth and families as just patients or users of these solutions. We want them to be co-designers of them as well," said Anjlee Joshi, Program Director, BHT Impact. "BHT Impact is prioritizing implementing their voices, experiences, and co-designing opportunities for young people to explore their role in shaping the future of behavioral health."

The platform's first in-person programming will debut in partnership with the Behavioral Health Tech 2025 Conference, a national convening hosted by Behavioral Health Tech taking place in San Diego, California from Nov. 11-13. At the conference, BHT Impact will bring together partners to address topics across youth behavioral health through interactive Q&A sessions with Medicaid experts, dedicated mentorship and scholarship programs, and networking opportunities designed to foster meaningful collaboration across the community.

To follow the work or get involved with BHT Impact, visit bhtimpact.org.

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SOURCE BHT Impact