Healium brings virtual reality to patients in Maryville

MARYVILLE, Mo. (KQTV) -- Mosaic Medical Center in Maryville, Missouri, is looking to accelerate and advance rural health care through a partnership with Healium.

Healium is a "biometrically powered immersive media platform that combines virtual reality and wearable sensors to help users visualize physiological signals like heart rate and brainwave activity in real time."

The partnership was made possible through a $42,250 grant through Digital Health KC's Accelerate Program. The program is focused on advancing the future of healthcare.

Mosaic was awarded the grant to bring virtual reality (VR) technologies into rural healthcare markets.

Through the partnership, Mosaic patients will have access to Healium's immersive VR experiences.

The platform visualizes physiological signals such as heart rate and brainwave activity in real time. The technology aims to help patients better self-manage stress.

"Mosaic is committed to exploring innovative approaches that improve the patient experience across every stage of care,” said Dana Anderson, Mosaic Medical Center - Maryville chief operating officer. "Emotional well-being matters. We believe immersive technologies like Healium represent an exciting new frontier in compassionate, patient-centered care, and we’re grateful to Digital Health KC for believing that technology advancements like Healium also belong in rural health care.”

Research involving Healium has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including Mayo Clinic Proceedings, with studies showing a reduction in anxiety and improvements in mood.

“We are honored to partner with Mosaic Maryville, a rural health care organization willing to lead rather than follow when it comes to reimagining the patient experience,” says Sarah Hill, CEO and chief storyteller of Healium. "Health care is entering an era where immersive technology and biometrics can help make stress more visible, measurable and manageable in ways we have never seen before.”

The initiative is supported through Digital Health KC's Accelerate Program, which awarded $332,750 in project-based funds to eight organizations.