Right now, a parent is sitting alone in an ER with their child in a mental health crisis, holding a printout of phone numbers that lead nowhere. Ahead are months-long waits and no clear path to care.

Balise Health's founders know this firsthand. Hayley Higgins spent years fighting to get her daughter help, and co-founder James Tee also navigated a similar journey. Balise was created because these are not abstract problems for the people building it. Balise, French for beacon, is the guide they wish they had when their children were at risk. It is an always-on app that helps parents find immediate help, the right providers, and a care team that stays with them through and beyond a crisis.

Hayley and James are joined by co-founder Jenn Mason, who has already built Rue, Balise's working intake agent. Together with seven advisors from tech and clinical practice, they are a volunteer team of ten working to build the guide they did not have themselves.

Volunteer hours have taken Balise this far, but they cannot carry it to launch. Support for this fundraiser will help move Balise from a working prototype to an app families can use.

Funds will support:

One principle guides everything: people, not technology, stay in control of every decision. AI is the interface, never the source of clinical guidance.

That parent in the ER should not have to find their way alone. Every contribution and every share brings Balise closer to reaching families when they need it most. Thank you for standing behind this effort.

To learn more visit our website.