John Merrick has over 15 years of experience focused in healthcare. Currently he is the Vice President of government partnerships at Charlie Health, where he has focused on expanding access to mental health care for Veterans and active duty service members and their families. Through Charlie Health’s virtual intensive outpatient program model, John has connected with Veterans Affairs (VA), Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) and Department of Defense (DOD) leaders across the country to collaborate on building rapid access to care. Prior to Charlie Health, John supported VA as a consultant standing up their Community Care program across the country enabling Veterans to receive care outside the VA. He built multiple clinical and administrative models to expedite care access and has continued to focus on studying and advocating for Veteran care. He also worked for PwC working across leading payers and providers supporting large IT transformations. He hails from Charlottesville, VA where he earned his B.A. in Biology at the University of Virginia.