Orbit Health

Health family is committed to breaking the cycle of mass incarceration of the mentally ill by providing mental health care in communities and correctional facilities. Orbit Health is there to help people get the care they need, whether at the time of arrest, in court, behind bars, on parole, in residential youth homes, or community mental health clinics. Healthier people means a healthier society. Business View delved into the details of this vital health care sector with Dr. Edward Kaftarian, CEO of Orbit Health and a pioneer in Correctional Telepsychiatry and founder of Cyberpsychiatry. He shares how Orbit Health is endeavoring to make a difference in ending the cycle of incarceration of the mentally ill, and the impact that will have for society, overall. BVM: Can you share the origins of Orbit Health and the mission today? Kaftarian: “I had a lot of experience working in executive level positions for the California Prison Systems mental health program. I noticed we were having trouble recruiting psychiatrists to rural prisons and we were having a much easier time recruiting in the Bay area of San Francisco and metropolitan areas. So, in 2009, I made a pitch to develop a statewide telepsychiatry program. After I was authorized to build that out, it became the largest correctional telepsychiatry program in the world. AT A GLANCE ORBIT HEALTH WHAT: A provider of high quality telepsychiatry services delivered remotely via technology WHERE: Headquarters in Calabasas, California WEBSITE: www.orbithealth.com