Depression Grand Challenge meets initial $2 million funding target for digital treatment platform

The UCLA Depression Grand Challenge (DGC) completed a successful accelerated fundraising campaign, raising $2 million. The funds will enable the DGC to upgrade the Screening and Treatment for Anxiety and Depression (STAND) Program (dubbed STAND 2.0), including an enhanced digital treatment platform and the creation of new algorithms and back-end tools. As a result, the DGC is immediately engaging with an outside group to discuss upgrades.

The DGC anticipates implementing and assessing the upgraded STAND platform in community colleges (a population at particularly high risk) and, to that end, is meeting with East Los Angeles College (ELAC) leadership to discuss feasibility. These enhancements enabled by philanthropy bring STAND one importance step closer to readiness for broad utilization. Now that the goal has been reached, fundraising turns to next steps for implementation in the UCLA health system

This effort is part of the Innovative Treatment Network (ITN) component. One of the ITN goals is to increase access to evidence-based treatment.