MONROE — SSM Health is expanding its partnership with Jacob’s SWAG through a $30,000 multi-year investment in the organization’s free mental health Got Your Back app.

“Jacob’s SWAG (Support With Awareness and Giving) Foundation is honored and humbled SSM Health’s support of the Got Your Back app as an additional tool for individuals toolboxes,” said Teri and Kurt Ellefson, founders of Jacob’s SWAG Foundation. “Our Foundation and Family have been blessed to have the support of the local communities, not only when we lost Jacob, but as the Jacob’s SWAG Foundation came to fruition and grew.  We are very proud of the Got Your Back App and are excited to partner with a strong healthcare institution that appreciates the value of educating its patients on the value of mental health and helping us make this valuable asset available to their patients.”

Jacob’s SWAG (Support With Awareness and Giving) Foundation was founded by Monroe residents Teri and Kurt Ellefson. The couple created the Foundation with the goal of providing information and resources in the hopes of saving young lives after they lost their son Jacob to suicide in 2012. An initial partnership with SSM Health Monroe in 2019 supported the creating of the group’s Got Your Back App, which features tools that are custom-built to help users cope with anxiety and depression. The Got Your Back app is available to download for free in both the Apple and Google app stores.

Focusing on mental health support aligns with SSM Health’s community health priorities.

“Across the SSM Health region, mental health is a top priority identified in our most recent community health needs assessments (CHNA),” says Megan Timm, SSM Health Wisconsin Regional Director of Community Health. “Our communities told us to focus on mental health and we listened by becoming the healthcare sponsor for the Got Your Back app.”

This new partnership will focus on spreading awareness of the Got Your Back App and mental health resources, while helping to financially support future digital developments within the app. The health system is implementing resources for its staff and providers to connect patients and families with the app as a mental health support. 

“We are truly fortunate to have the opportunity to support our communities through this partnership with a local leader in suicide prevention. The Jacob SWAG Foundation found a way to reduce the stigma around mental health by developing an app accessible to everyone — not just individuals with a formal mental health diagnosis,” said Timm. “By removing the stigma around mental health, we are hopeful that our youth feel comfortable seeking out and accessing the support they need so they know they are not alone.”