A new report from Mental Health America found that in 2021-2022, 23 percent of adults experienced a mental illness in the past year—equivalent to 60 million Americans.

About one in five youth had at least one major depressive episode in the past year, and more than half of those didn’t receive treatment.

2022 had the highest number of deaths by suicide ever recorded in the U.S.

These statistics correlate with Polara Health's growth. The company's leadership team is committed to elevating the entire community through innovative services and programs, each with the goal of providing integrated, whole-person care.

“I feel like I have the ability every single day to change the trajectory for some people,” said Tamara Player, Polara’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Tamara’s interest in mental health services began due to her fascination with the brain, how things work, and her sense of social justice. “So many people who need mental health services are the unseen, the forgotten, the other,” she said.

With that “othering” in mind, she started as a social worker providing intensive in-home services to at-risk families. Eventually, an interest in impacting the whole system drew her to leadership.

She said she strives “to identify where the needs and gaps are in our community and … design service delivery that attends to those needs.”

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