About Us.
CHESS Health is committed to developing and delivering evidence-based solutions that enable our partners to reduce the personal and societal crisis of substance use disorder (SUD).
No one should suffer twice.
Dave Gustafson, PhD
Our History
The mission evolved from a concept conceived by Dave Gustafson, PhD, rooted in his unwavering belief that people suffering from injury or disease should not also have to bear the burden of poorly designed healthcare systems. In his words, “No one should suffer twice.”
Gustafson, the founder and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies (CHESS), held that technology could effectively aid mental health care providers, specifically those working with individuals with substance use disorders, by extending support and reinforcing recovery skills for individuals when and where they needed it.
To address what he identified as a critical gap in care, Gustafson built a smartphone app, initially called A-CHESS. The app gave patients in recovery immediate access to counselors, peer discussion groups, and other support.
The Evolution of eRecovery & Connections
A study specifically focused on A-CHESS was published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry in 2014, concluding that the smartphone app had a significant positive effect on patients in continuing care with alcohol use disorder. The study inspired further research through which Gustafson’s path crossed with Christopher Wilkins, MHA, founder of the Loyola Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing services to veterans. 1
Wilkins and Gustafson came together as the newly formed CHESS Health to expand technology solutions that aided providers in supporting patients in recovery and to make those solutions available to a broader market.
New functionality added to the existing solution gave providers more tools, including oversight and analytics reporting on patients. The app itself was redeveloped to be consumer-facing. The new, more comprehensive solution launched as eRecovery, and the app was renamed Connections.
Solutions to Extend Reach & Engagement Across a Full Journey from Prevention Through Recovery
John Holton, the founder of three healthcare technology companies, became chairman in 2016, and in 2017, Holton brought Hans Morefield on as CEO to lead the company’s expansion.
CHESS Health grew beyond recovery support with the launch of eIntervention, a closed-loop referral system with peer engagement to connect individuals with SUD to providers and services. And, a partnership with CBT4CBT brought digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) into the eRecovery solution.
A $1.5 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse funded the development, testing, and ultimately, the launch of ePrevention, a tool that automates screenings using the evidence-based practice of SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment).
There was continued expansion to serve the Spanish-speaking population better, CHESS Health expanded its educational materials to include Spanish versions across various solutions, including ePrevention and eRecovery’s Connections/Conexiones app. Bilingual peer specialists equipped to conduct support meetings, engagement activities, and crisis support in Spanish joined the team.
CHESS Health Amplifies the Impact of its Partners to Reach Individuals at the Moments that Matter
CHESS Health, the leading provider of evidence-based digital solutions, amplifies the impact of healthcare providers, community organizations, state and local governments, and health plans by extending their reach, improving outcomes, and enabling data reporting across the entire lifecycle of SUD management – from prevention and intervention to treatment and recovery.
