2020: An Inflection Point for Mental Healthcare and Hurdle
By: Kevin Dedner
Tags: Wellness, Therapy, Mental Health, Self, People Of Color

2020: An Inflection Point for Mental Healthcare and Hurdle

Above: Meet our expanding Hurdle team. The events of this year required Hurdle to double down on our mission to create global health solutions for the most underserved populations. And as a result, we grew.

One of the blessings of this time of year is the chance to slow down and reflect. I imagine I’m not alone in saying that this year offers an abundance of inspiration for reflection — a decade’s worth of historic challenges wedged into twelve months, the myriad tests of humanity’s mettle, and how great or weathered our fortitude has revealed itself to be.

No doubt, this has been a challenging year for Hurdle. Each of us has been impacted by the pandemic. We were mentally and spiritually stretched in our efforts to add our own voices to the calls for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death. And, we were not without loss in 2020. A few weeks ago, I lost my grandmother. Like millions of others who were forced to grieve the loss of a loved one in isolation, my family found ourselves unable to practice our traditional religious practices and without the opportunity to collectively mourn.

The good news is history offers countless examples of our seemingly intrinsic ability to dig deep, to tap into a hidden reservoir of strength and perseverance when we are challenged beyond our conceivable norms. At Hurdle, we have found this to be especially true. The events of this year required the company to double down on our mission to create global health solutions for the most underserved populations. And as a result, we grew. We have continued to see an increase in the demand for our services. We have also gained momentum in our fundraising and attracted new partners, which show a vote of confidence in our mission. Our partners have a depth of experience in digital health and are also knowledgeable about what it takes to achieve true health equity across racial lines.

The events of this year required the company to double down on our mission to create global health solutions for the most underserved populations. And as a result, we grew.

We end the year a step closer to our vision: to become the gold standard in teletherapy. We will use our seed funding to scale the company and our tech-enabled platform with a particular focus on meeting the unique needs of employers with culturally diverse workforces.

I believe that we are at an inflection point in mental health with depression spiking this year in Black and minority communities. As Hurdle emerges from 2020 with greater clarity about our role in transforming mental healthcare and our mandate for the future, our value proposition remains more relevant than ever: We have the ability to accelerate broader access to teletherapy in underrepresented groups.

From my reflections on 2020, I am left with this truth: Entombed in the metanarrative of life-overcome, there is your story and my story. Beyond the headlines, there are our personal histories that assure us of our ability to rebuild, renew, restore, and when necessary, to revolutionize. It is, after all, our individual narratives from which history is collectively made, a sum of parts. That is why I remain incredibly optimistic about the future. As Hurdle grows, so too do the stories of personal triumph.

Beyond the headlines, there are our personal histories that assure us of our ability to rebuild, renew, restore, and when necessary, to revolutionize. It is, after all, our individual narratives from which history is collectively made, a sum of parts. That is why I remain incredibly optimistic about the future. As Hurdle grows, so too do the stories of personal triumph.

From the Hurdle family to yours, wishing you a season of peace and joy, and a triumphant 2021.