Community Health Network, or MyCHN, is partnering with artificial intelligence mental health company WYSA to expand its mental health services, officials from both companies announced.

The gist

The new pilot program features an AI chatbot that will provide patients with mental health help through the MyCHN app. Officials hope the new service will help with a number of challenges, MyCHN CEO Mark Young said at a launch event Jan. 25. Those include:
  • Those struggling with mental health issues but not feeling comfortable talking to another person yet
  • Providing 24/7 service for those in need when a clinician might not be readily available
The goal of the service is to not replace in-person clinical care, but instead to add onto it, officials at the event said.

The details

The program, which is free to use for patients within the MyCHN system, picks up on language used by the program’s user, and the AI chatbot uses responses that have been created by clinicians.


Young at the event, however, said it’s not like talking with a bot but instead feels like a real conversation.

Going further, the AI bot will offer similar tools that a real life clinician might, such as tools to help with mental resilience, or ways to reframe thinking, officials said.

What they’re saying

James Simmons, the crisis program manager at MyCHN, has been a user of the program.


“It’s been helpful for me,” he said at the event. “I have it programmed to check in on me right after work at 6 p.m.”

What else?

MyCHN is a health care provider that has locations across the Pearland-Friendswood area, as well as the Bay Area of the Greater Houston area. They also have locations south of the metro, according to the company's website.