How can you make hybrid care a success in your organization? By involving people from all levels of the organisation from the very start, say Lisanne Bal and Phine Krom of E25 Care & Welfare. They share the do's and don'ts of rolling out ehealth in their organisation.
E25 started as youth work but has since expanded significantly. They now offer tailored prevention and care services for both young people and adults, including coaching, support for young people who have dropped out, forensic care, and mental health treatment as a supplement to coaching. The treatment team began to ask: How can digital support help us? Lisanne Bal, ehealth project leader, explains: "To provide coaches and therapists with additional tools, Minddistrict is used extensively to guide clients in new ways, offer psychoeducation, and possibly even eliminate the need for mental health treatment altogether."
f.l.t.r. Lisanne Bal, Phine Krom and Marianne Reintjes
The versatility of the Minddistrict platform is particularly valuable to the organization, says Lisanne, because their clients have diverse needs, and the platform fits perfectly with that. "We’ve also used the platform broadly from the start by adding many modules to our catalogue."
Involving everyone
Successful widespread adoption always starts with the basics, says Marianne Reintjes, implementation specialist at Minddistrict, drawing from experience. "A good rollout is the key to success," she emphasizes. "It really makes the difference between success, failure, or anything in between." What is absolutely essential, according to Marianne? "Involving everyone at all levels of the organisation from day one. That’s a must."
"Involving everyone at all levels of the organisation from day one. That’s a must."
Marianne stresses that this includes the entire decision-making process about how the platform will be used. “If the management decides to use a platform, but users are only involved once the system is in place, it often doesn’t take off. It’s also helpful if people with different areas of expertise consider what role Minddistrict can play throughout the entire client journey. In short: clear communication about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of choosing an online platform and involving everyone from the very start in the implementation process.”
A flexible blueprint
Minddistrict offers an implementation blueprint with a flexible structure that adapts to the size and decisions of the organisation. “It’s important to have a framework so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel with each organisation,” explains Marianne. “We also connect organisations to share their successes and pitfalls. Learning from each other is valuable.”
This flexible approach resonated with E25, where a ‘dream team’ of coaches, therapists, and central support staff was formed. They also appointed trainers within the organisation to keep promoting Minddistrict among colleagues. These trainers participated in Minddistrict’s “Train the Trainer” program.
Building support from the start
Creating support from everyone in the organisation from the start is crucial, says Lisanne. Integrating digital care into your existing services can be challenging. “When we were still exploring, Minddistrict gave a clear, comprehensive presentation to our board and managers. They explained what the platform offers, how it can be used, and what a rollout might look like. They guided us through the entire implementation process, which was very reassuring.”
The ‘dream team’ quickly began setting up training focused on “what Minddistrict can mean for you and your client.” According to project leader Phine Krom, this resulted in training sessions being scheduled at lightning speed—a trend that continues today. “And it’s not just limited to training. During team meetings or supervision sessions, if a client, coach, or therapist raises a question, someone is sure to say, ‘Have you checked if there’s a relevant Minddistrict module?’ or even suggest one they already know.”
“They guided us through the entire implementation process, which was very reassuring.”
Lisanne realises that the success was also due to the demand for a digital platform coming from both the workforce and management. “In recent years, more and more municipalities have included in their contracts with organizations like ours that they expect an innovative approach, incorporating digital tools such as ehealth. At the same time, therapists were asking for it. So there was a stimulus to work with an ehealth platform from both top-down and bottom-up. That creates the freedom and space for a successful implementation because everyone is on board.”
Not mandatory
Lisanne and Phine emphasise that coaches and therapists are not required to use Minddistrict modules in every case. “Some organisations automatically set up an account and use the waiting list module as a default,” notes Lisanne. “We prefer to assess whether Minddistrict is suitable for each client. If it’s useful and beneficial, they can use it. But sometimes, it’s just not needed (yet).”
While many organisations start with a pilot program, E25 went all-in right away, Phine says. “Our trainers have helped therapists across the organization use Minddistrict. But we must regularly check: Are our processes still working as intended? Are we staying on course? Recently, a new employee portal went live, integrating Minddistrict—for instance, enabling staff to register for training. There will always be updates and changes. Rollout and usage are dynamic processes.”
"We’re just people who sometimes struggle. It’s comforting to know there’s a tool you’re familiar with that you can use to help yourself.”
Marianne emphasises the importance of ongoing engagement: “After implementation, usage often rises initially but may decline later. Implementation isn’t static; you need to stay on top of it—not just for new staff but across the board. Trainers and ambassadors play a key role in keeping usage front of mind and encouraging adoption. It takes effort to turn something new into a habit.”
Phine believes the broad rollout was highly effective for E25. “Because the implementation and use of the platform were organisation-wide, Minddistrict was integrated from the start. Moreover—and this is important—our staff can also use Minddistrict for themselves. We’re just people who sometimes struggle. It’s comforting to know there’s a tool you’re familiar with that you can use to help yourself.”
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This is a shortened version of the interview that appeared in ICT&Health magazine.