Case Study: WellStone achieves reduced recidivism and expanded access to behavioral health with Netsmart myAvatar

WellStone addresses social determinants of health through care delivery tactics

WellStone is North Alabama’s largest nonprofit behavioral health provider, operating 12 facilities and serving more than 13,000 clients annually. The organization faced persistent social determinants of health—unstable housing, transportation, financial barriers—and a cycle of people with mental illness entering and re-entering county jails, which limited access to care and increased costs for the community.

To address this, WellStone joined the Stepping Up Initiative and launched a 12–24 month jail diversion program alongside technology-enabled care: Netsmart’s myAvatar EHR, KPI dashboards for outcomes tracking, and telehealth in schools and with law enforcement. Since 2018 the program has saved over $1.5 million (about seven times the initial investment) for 84 participants, lowered recidivism by 4% versus non-participants, and expanded access to integrated, whole-person care across the community.

WellStone

Jeremy Blair

Chief Executive Officer