Health Union, the leader in building online health solutions for people living with chronic conditions, today announced that it has acquired WEGO Health, the world’s largest network of patient leaders – advocates, community leaders, creators and influencers. Combining Health Union’s targeted scale and depth in the condition experience with WEGO Health’s breadth of patient leaders in nearly all health conditions, Health Union aims to change the face of social health, connecting people in meaningful and innovative ways.
With the addition of WEGO Health’s Patient Leader Network, Health Union will become the largest team of experts, patient advocates and healthcare leaders, reaching scale that has never before been achieved in social health. In addition to expanding opportunities within its online health communities, the company will create and deliver unique solutions that impact all people on their health journey, from patients who passively seek health information to patient advocates and influencers who actively share health information on multiple social media platforms.
The combined teams will provide the healthcare industry with disruptive solutions that bring value – in new ways – to patients, sponsors and partners. By activating patients on a massive scale through Health Union’s expanding portfolio of online health communities and WEGO Health’s Patient Leader Network, Health Union will serve as a cohesive source for the healthcare industry’s patient-centered marketing needs.
“For more than 10 years, both Health Union and WEGO Health have been committed to advocating for patients, in complementary ways,” said Olivier Chateau, Health Union’s co-founder and CEO. “To me, WEGO Health joining the Health Union family represents the natural next step in the evolution of our companies, built on our shared commitment to patients and the future of social health.”
The entire WEGO Health team will become part of Health Union with Jack Barrette, CEO and founder of WEGO Health, joining Health Union’s executive leadership team.
“Both companies have done a remarkable job of making their shared mission – to empower patients – the core of our successful businesses,” said Jack Barrette, CEO and founder of WEGO Health. “WEGO Health and Health Union have both won awards as best places to work for our teams. We’ve each elevated the patient voice and built trust over more than a decade by staying true to our values. With the combined experience and knowledge of our two organizations, we look forward to defining the future of social health.”
Since the launch of its first online health community, Migraine.com, in 2010, Health Union has grown exponentially. Today, Health Union maintains 33 condition-specific communities – with more launching in the near future – that provide safe and supportive environments for people to learn, connect with others and share the experiences of life with chronic health conditions.
Founded in 2007, WEGO Health connects the healthcare industry with the experience, skills and insights of patient leaders across virtually all health conditions and topics. Powered by its Patient Leader Network of more than 100,000 individuals, WEGO Health has combined the science of influencer marketing with the power of patient-driven content to deliver engagement across patient communities at scale.
For more information about Health Union’s acquisition of WEGO Health, visit health-union.com/wego-health.
About Health Union
Health Union encourages social interactions that evolve into valuable online health conversations, helping people with chronic conditions find the information, connection, and validation they seek. The company creates condition-specific online communities – publishing original, daily content and continuously cultivating social conversation – to support, educate and connect millions of people with challenging, chronic health concerns. The Health Union family of brands currently includes 33 online health communities, including LungCancer.net, ParkinsonsDisease.net, MultipleSclerosis.net and Migraine.com.
