Hazel Health’s integrated telehealth approach is built around one clear and compelling insight: children spend the majority of their day at school, making it the ideal environment to deliver both physical and mental health care. Based in San Francisco, Hazel Health leverages this by embedding telehealth for school-based pediatric care services directly into school settings, creating a seamless way for students to access care without disrupting their education. This school-centered model is revolutionizing how pediatric health care is delivered, tackling some of the most persistent challenges faced by providers, schools, and families alike.
By situating care where kids are already spending most of their waking hours, Hazel Health minimizes missed class time and reduces barriers that often prevent students from getting the treatment they need. But beyond improving access and convenience, this approach has a significant business advantage. It enables Hazel Health to attract highly sought-after pediatric mental health providers, a group in notoriously short supply nationwide, by offering clinical hours that better align with the daily schedules of students.
Aligning Provider Schedules with Student Needs
Andrew Post, Hazel Health’s Chief Innovation Officer and Head of Behavioral Health, explains the benefits of this approach for providers. Traditional pediatric mental health services often happen after school hours or on weekends, limiting the available clinical time and making it difficult for providers to offer consistent, accessible care. Hazel Health, however, offers clinical hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., closely matching the hours students are in school. This creates more opportunities for providers to deliver care during the daytime, which many clinicians find appealing.
“The obvious answer is that that’s where children are 6 hours or more a day,” Post said. “The less obvious answer is where that positions us to hire, to recruit, hire and engage really high-quality, mission-focused clinicians.” By integrating services into the school day, Hazel Health can maintain a pool of dedicated providers who want to serve children in a setting that respects both the students’ and providers’ time.
Responding to a Growing Pediatric Mental Health Crisis
The shortage of pediatric mental health providers has been a growing concern for years. As far back as 2018, advocates warned about the critical gaps in access to child and adolescent mental health care. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges, leading to a surge in youth mental health issues severe enough to prompt the U.S. Surgeon General to issue a nationwide advisory. Congress has also taken notice, moving forward with major mental health legislation aimed at increasing resources and support.
Currently, a staggering estimate suggests that the United States needs approximately 6,400 new mental health providers just to address the current shortage. Hazel Health’s model of telehealth for school-based pediatric care is a response to this crisis, creating more efficient ways to connect students with care and stretch provider availability by embedding services directly in schools.
How Hazel Health Works Within Schools
Since its founding in 2015, Hazel Health has partnered with school districts to supply the technology and infrastructure necessary for on-demand and scheduled telehealth visits. This includes tablets, headphones, and a medical cart stocked with over-the-counter medications — all coordinated with the school’s existing counselor or nurse’s office. This setup enables students to access physical and mental health care without leaving school, which reduces absenteeism and lowers the burden on families.
School districts pay Hazel Health a fee of $15 per student, which covers care that isn’t reimbursed by insurance or other sources. When possible, Hazel Health also bills students’ health insurance plans, including state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans. Importantly, parents must provide consent before their children can receive services, ensuring privacy and compliance.
Scale and Reach of Hazel Health’s Services
Currently, Hazel Health’s telehealth for school-based pediatric care services are accessible to between 800,000 and 1 million students across the United States, with contracts covering around 2 million students total. While the majority of visits — approximately 60% — address physical health issues, mental health visits make up a substantial 40% of total care delivered through the platform.
One of Hazel Health’s biggest differentiators is its ability to integrate physical and mental health data within its electronic health record system. This integration allows providers to identify patterns, such as repeated physical health complaints, which can serve as early warning signs for underlying behavioral health concerns. For example, frequent stomachaches or headaches may indicate anxiety or stress that requires further evaluation.
Coordinated Care for Holistic Student Well-Being
Having Hazel Health’s telehealth for school-based pediatric care program embedded in schools also enables better coordination with other school-based supports. This coordination is especially important in addressing social determinants of health — the external factors like family environment, nutrition, and social stressors that affect a student’s well-being. By working closely with school counselors, nurses, and support staff, Hazel Health helps create a more comprehensive safety net for students, enabling earlier interventions and more personalized care plans.
This approach is crucial because mental health does not exist in isolation. By bridging physical health, mental health, and social supports, Hazel Health can provide more effective and timely care that addresses the whole child.
Financial Growth and Future Outlook
Hazel Health’s innovative model of telehealth for school-based pediatric care has attracted significant investment and attention. In its latest funding round, the company raised $33.5 million in a Series C led by Owl Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures. Owl Ventures remains the company’s largest investor and has praised Hazel Health’s growth over the past nine months, noting that the company is moving toward a position where its operations can be fully supported by cash flow.
This funding will help Hazel Health expand its reach and refine its model, potentially serving more students and schools while continuing to attract high-quality pediatric providers. As the mental health needs of young people continue to grow, Hazel Health’s integrated telehealth approach is positioned to play a vital role in improving access, outcomes, and overall health equity for children nationwide.
Hazel Health is proving that the future of pediatric health care lies in meeting kids where they are — in schools — and providing integrated physical and mental health services that fit into their daily lives. This model of telehealth for school-based pediatric care not only supports students but also helps alleviate the provider shortage by offering flexible hours and a mission-driven work environment. By combining technology, clinical care, and educational settings, Hazel Health is setting a new standard for accessible, coordinated, and effective telehealth in pediatric care.
