Rallying Support – Hafeezah Muhammad and Backpack Healthcare
When Hafeezah's son approached her with a mental health crisis, she struggled to find care for him. Formerly an executive in a large mental health company, she often got calls from Medicaid parents like herself, searching for pediatric mental health care. A mother of three, she quit her job and founded a digital health company focusing on pediatric mental health, especially for children of color. Today Backpack Healthcare offers a first of its kind certification program for pediatric mental health counseling, a network for certified counselors, and a gamification app. On National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, Backpack announced that they've raised $9M in venture capital to expand their reach. Hafeezah discusses the surprises along the way, and how she plans to reach more people more effectively with humans at the forefront and AI in the background.