PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month, Virgin Pulse, the leading global provider of digital health and wellbeing solutions, is highlighting native mental health support capabilities and new partner solutions delivered through its Homebase for Health ® platform. To help organizations address and normalize conversations around mental health, the company has also launched a free Mental Health Awareness Month toolkit, featuring tip sheets, reports, webinars and a calendar of daily tasks for prioritizing mental health.
Costing more than $200 billion per year, mental health disorders are among the most expensive medical conditions in the United States.1 The lost productivity resulting from anxiety and depressive disorder conditions alone is estimated to cost the global economy $1 trillion each year.2 Yet, less than half of the 51.5 million adults with mental illness received treatment in the past year. 3
“The enduring aftermath of COVID-19 clearly demonstrates the value of investing in employee wellbeing beyond just physical health,” said Dr. Jessica Isom, MPH, a board-certified community psychiatrist and Virgin Pulse Science Advisory Board Member. “Remote access to health experts, social support and digital therapeutics promotes members’ holistic wellbeing and helps them proactively avoid mental health conditions that impact their quality of life.”
“Left unchecked, mental and behavioral health issues can have profound long-term consequences on individuals, their families, their communities and their workplaces,” said David Osborne, CEO of Virgin Pulse. “I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to ensure employees feel heard and supported during challenging times. Virgin Pulse does just that by bringing together all the resources employees need to take control of their unique and often complex mental health needs.”
How Virgin Pulse Solutions Support Mental Health
Mental health plays a vital role in Virgin Pulse’s whole-person approach to health and wellbeing. Virgin Pulse’s digital, live and partner solutions work together to support five key areas of mental health including stress, depression and anxiety, sleep, substance use and resilience. These issues were exacerbated over the past 15 months as employees and their families dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, financial distress, and social unrest. Homebase for Health supports members across these areas by orchestrating a continuous digital engagement experience, guiding them to clinically validated mental health screenings, professional health coaches, social connectivity tools and targeted third-party solutions in ways no stand-alone vendor can match.
Homebase for Health Platform
Through high-engagement delivery channels, the Virgin Pulse platform offers an extensive library of content and activities designed to help members achieve their mental health goals. Homebase for Health delivers actionable mental health tips, habit trackers encouraging small behavior changes and step-by-step programs that drive consistent mental health habits to support members at every stage of their journey. Using data from comprehensive screenings within the platform, interactive dashboards help members understand their behavioral health risks. Recognizing the increasingly critical role social connection plays in mental health, the platform also promotes peer forums to help members build relationships, recognition tools for boosting member self-esteem and activity challenges that foster camaraderie.
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VP Live: High-Availability Coaching
Homebase for Health facilitates a seamless high-tech, high-touch experience by making it easy for members to access and schedule live coaching interactions directly from the Virgin Pulse platform. Virgin Pulse is expanding its VP Live capabilities, launching high-availability mental health coaching that will provide more immediate access to appointments and personalized care plans. VP Live coaches are certified and bring significant mental health experience and advanced degrees in counseling, social work and other related fields to help members harness their intrinsic motivation and achieve their mental health goals. Dedicated anxiety and depression coaches are experienced in de-escalating mental health crises and trained to refer members to Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or other appropriate forms of care.
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Comprehensive Partner Ecosystem
In addition to native digital tools, robust content and access to lifestyle and behavioral coaching, Virgin Pulse’s Homebase for Health features a growing ecosystem of mental health partners, offering clients a broad range of third-party point solutions for addressing specific needs of their members. These solutions span the mental health continuum—from preventative screenings and mindfulness trainings to hands-on expert support for managing anxiety and depression. Clients can also bring their own partners into the Virgin Pulse ecosystem. In addition to certified and authorized partners, the company has delivered more than 2,000 custom partner integrations.
New Mental Health Partners
Virgin Pulse recently added ALAViDA, Pack Health, Spring Health and Vida Health to its portfolio of mental health partners as part of its Summer ’21 Launch. These providers join a growing list of mental health partners which also includes Headspace, meQuilibrium, myStrength, SilverCloud and Whil, and further bolster Virgin Pulse’s partner ecosystem.
- ALAViDA provides a digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program designed to give members the tools and support they need for reducing or quitting alcohol and other substance use.
- Pack Health is an evidence-based solution that combines near-daily person-to-person support, simple engagement, and an empathy-based approach to improve mental and physical health outcomes.
- Spring Health offers personalized mental health benefits. Spring’s mental health assessment technology recommends the right care for each member, and pairs them with a dedicated Care Navigator to guide them through their entire mental health journey.
- Vida Health is a virtual care platform intentionally designed to treat a person’s whole health by treating mental and physical conditions together. The Vida Health mindfulness program reduced stress scores for 83 percent of participants who started with moderate to high stress levels.
Mental health will be a focus of Virgin Pulse’s THRIVEx 2021 virtual conference May 11-13th, with workshops and sessions focused on promoting health during times of unrest, building a culture of resilience, and improving addiction outcomes. During this year’s event, themed “Connecting for Good,” medical experts, thought leaders and Virgin Pulse clients will share insights and advice for addressing the top health and wellbeing challenges impacting organizations today. To register for the event, please visit: https://thrivex.virginpulse.com/thrivex.
About Virgin Pulse
Virgin Pulse is the global leader and premier provider of digital health and wellbeing SaaS solutions and services focused on driving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. Featuring the industry’s only true Homebase for Health ® that unifies and simplifies the health journey, Virgin Pulse fuses high-tech, high-touch, AI and data to support clients and members across the entire health, wellbeing and benefits lifecycle—including screening and assessment, activation, behavior change, adoption of sustainable, healthy habits, benefits navigation, condition management, gaps in care closure and digital therapeutics. Today, 14 million+ users in more than 190 countries rely on Virgin Pulse’s digital and live solutions to change their lives—and businesses—for good. To learn more, visit VirginPulse.com and follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Media Inquiries, please contact: Press@virginpulse.com
1 Roehrig C. Mental disorders top the list of the most costly conditions in the United States: $201 billion. Health Aff. 2016:10–1377.
2 Kestel, D. (2019, January 22). Mental health in the workplace. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/mental-health-in-the-workplace
3 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP20-07-01-001, NSDUH Series H-55). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
About Virgin Pulse’s New Partners
ALAViDA is Canada’s first virtual care provider focused on the science of substance use management. It is a one-stop-shop approach for any level of substance use disorder – alcohol and drugs – mild, moderate and severe. ALAViDA connects patients with behavioral coaches, therapists and physicians who work as a team to deliver personalized care right to their smartphones. ALAViDA is an employee benefit with varying plans and personalized therapeutic programs, which has proven to minimize time out of the workplace. More than 79 percent of those signed on reported increased control, 86 percent reduced substance use and 91 percent continued to work.
Pack Health is a digital health coaching platform for chronic disease management. Pack Health matches members with their own personal Health Advisor who provides weekly coaching sessions and personalized follow-up online and over the phone according to the member's communication preferences. In addition to being a virtual partner in problem-solving, coaches share videos, activities and resources to support the member's specific health needs. Pack Health covers more than 25 conditions and supports members on everything from exercise and nutrition, to budgeting and logistics, to stress, sleep and social support. Pack Health’s translation service accommodates more than 190 languages, and the solution can be billed as a medical claim.
Spring Health helps employers modernize their behavioral health benefits with the most comprehensive solution for employee mental wellbeing. Spring Health provides a single front door to any type of care—from digital exercises to coaching, therapy or medication—leading to faster outcomes, higher engagement and healthier, happier employees.
Vida Health is a virtual care platform intentionally designed to treat a person’s whole health by treating mental and physical conditions together. Vida offers evidence-based chronic condition management, mental health and lifestyle programs including weight management, nutrition, fitness, tobacco cessation, stress and sleep solutions. Vida's entire platform and coach experiences are available in both English and Spanish with licensed practitioners in all 50 states. Members can earn rewards in Virgin Pulse for engaging with Vida Health’s program content.
Additional Mental Health Resources
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or chat
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741-741
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- SAMHSA National Hotline: Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) treatment referral and information related to mental or substance use disorders
- SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990
- Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 or text 838-255
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Mental health provider resources
- National Parent Helpline: 1-855-427-2736