Alphabet Inc.’s life science-focused subsidiary, Verily, is making a major push into hybrid addiction treatment through its investment in a brick-and-mortar opioid use disorder (OUD) center. This move reflects both a strategic expansion for the company and a broader trend of major tech players exploring innovative ways to tackle addiction and mental health.
Verily’s approach signals a shift from purely digital solutions to hybrid addiction treatment models that combine traditional in-person care with technology-driven insights. This acknowledges the complex nature of behavioral health, where social, clinical, and cognitive factors intersect, and where personalized, data-informed care can make a tangible difference in patient outcomes.
OneFifteen: A Leading Example of Hybrid Addiction Treatment
Verily teamed up with Kettering Health Network and Premier Health to launch OneFifteen, a nonprofit OUD treatment center in Dayton, Ohio. The organization also partnered with Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE) to secure a 4.5-acre campus for the facility.
The center first opened its doors in 2019, offering a full continuum of care, including:
- Crisis stabilization unit for patients in acute distress
- Outpatient clinic for ongoing therapy, medication management, and follow-up care
- Inpatient residential treatment program for patients requiring intensive intervention
- Residential treatment program for longer-term care and sustained recovery
- Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including naltrexone and buprenorphine
Named for the 115 lives lost daily to accidental overdoses in 2016, OneFifteen has treated over 5,000 patients and received $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the CARES Act. By integrating both in-person services and technology-driven solutions, the center exemplifies hybrid addiction treatment in action.
Data-Driven Insights in Hybrid Addiction Treatment
While OneFifteen has a physical facility, technology is central to its approach. With patient consent, the organization applies analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of various treatment interventions across the full continuum of care. The goal is to build a learning health system, helping clinicians optimize care and advance understanding of addiction treatment.
Patients also have access to digital health tools, including:
- Telehealth services for virtual therapy sessions, group meetings, and peer support
- Mobile app to manage appointments, track treatment plans, and stay connected with their care team
By combining in-person care with virtual tools, OneFifteen sets the standard for modern hybrid addiction treatment, reaching more patients and ensuring continuity of care.
Early Challenges and Opportunities
Despite the promise of this model, Verily faced challenges in its first years. Initial patient volumes were lower than expected, limiting the data available for the company’s machine learning models. These models are designed to predict relapses and optimize treatment protocols, which are key components of their hybrid addiction treatment vision.
As pandemic restrictions eased, more patients arrived, allowing the organization to continue building out its data-driven platform. In September, Verily secured $1 billion in funding from Alphabet to enhance precision health, research capabilities, real-world evidence generation, and technology infrastructure—all critical to advancing hybrid addiction treatment programs.
Big Tech and Behavioral Health Innovation
Verily’s OUD center is part of a broader Alphabet strategy. Google has invested in consumer-focused behavioral health solutions, hiring Headspace Health veteran Megan Jones Bell as clinical director and launching virtual mental health self-assessments for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and postpartum depression.
Alphabet’s venture arm, GV, is exploring brick-and-mortar investments targeting serious mental illness. Dr. Ben Robbins, a GV general partner, emphasizes that complex behavioral health conditions require hybrid or in-person care, noting that pure virtual models often fail to address cognitive, social, and clinical complexities. This perspective reinforces the growing importance of hybrid addiction treatment as a sustainable model for serious behavioral health conditions.
Addressing the Opioid Crisis with Hybrid Addiction Treatment
Verily’s initiative comes as the U.S. faces a worsening opioid epidemic. The CDC reports 100,306 drug overdose deaths in 2021—a 28.5% increase from the previous year. The federal government is also investing heavily to address this crisis, including a $1.6 billion initiative to support community programs that prevent overdoses and expand access to treatment.
By integrating technology, analytics, and traditional care, OneFifteen demonstrates how hybrid addiction treatment can be a powerful solution in addressing both the scale and complexity of the opioid crisis.
The Future of Addiction Care
As technology continues to intersect with behavioral health, hybrid addiction treatment models like OneFifteen offer a blueprint for the future. Combining in-person care with data-driven insights and telehealth services not only improves patient outcomes but also generates valuable knowledge to advance addiction medicine.
While machine learning and predictive analytics are still in development, early results suggest that hybrid addiction treatment has the potential to redefine how care is delivered—providing patients with better outcomes, stronger support networks, and hope for sustained recovery.
