SAN FRANCISCO, June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Castlight
Health, Inc. (NYSE: CSLT) today announced the availability of its
behavioral health solution to help employees easily access and
navigate behavioral health support and resources amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic. The newly enhanced offering, Castlight
Behavioral Health, is now available to all customers on the
company's flagship platform, Castlight Complete, in response to the
growing behavioral health crisis impacting employers and the
increased demand for resources by employees.
While the negative impact of COVID-19 on physical health is well
documented, the pandemic has also created a behavioral health
crisis. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking
Poll, 45% of Americans state that COVID-19 has had an impact on
their mental health. And based on a survey by the Business Group on
Health, more than a quarter of employees stated they want more
mental health support from their employer. Now, more than ever,
employers are faced with the challenge of managing and supporting a
workforce simultaneously strained by ongoing physical, financial,
and emotional stressors.
"The effects of social isolation, challenges accessing health
care, and financial issues due to COVID-19 and the associated
economic crisis are driving new levels of anxiety, depression, and
substance misuse," said Dr. Dena
Bravata, Chief Medical Officer at Castlight Health.
"Employers across the country are balancing the need to safely
return their employees to the workplace while also addressing the
behavioral wellbeing of a strained workforce."
Castlight Behavioral Health removes the common barriers to
care—stigma, awareness, access, and cost—that prevent employees
from receiving the behavioral health and wellbeing support they
need as they navigate new challenges associated with the COVID-19
pandemic.
Stigma - Confidential Resources for Employees to Take
Action
Stigma is a leading barrier to employees seeking help, as
ordinary concerns over embarrassment or disapproval are magnified
by the professional relationship with an employer. Despite this,
Castlight data show employee utilization of its behavioral health
resources has increased by 14% since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic, with psychological and psychiatric care now the third
highest search term on its platform and many users reporting
symptoms of stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Castlight Behavioral
Health lowers the hurdle to care by enabling employees to access
personalized guidance and resources discreetly, and, where needed,
by directing patients to primary care providers with relevant
behavioral health experience, avoiding the potential stigma of
visiting a behavioral health provider.
Awareness - Making it Easy to Understand Care Options
It can be confusing for an employee seeking behavioral health
support to determine which care options are personally relevant for
their own specific needs. Castlight deploys industry-leading
personalization via a comprehensive data set—claims, demographics,
user goals, and in-app activity—and predictive capabilities to help
deliver the right resources for that individual. This allows
proactive, targeted communication directly to employees to help
ensure they are aware of the solutions most relevant to them. This
highly personalized guidance is especially important for vulnerable
populations, such as employees at higher risk due to underlying
health conditions, those missing preventative services, frequent
users of emergency room visits, or those living in high-density
population areas impacted by COVID-19. Castlight Care Guides are
also available to provide human-led navigation to address any
anxiety or concerns.
Access - Availability of Immediate Support
Numerous reports, including those from a National Council for
Behavioral Health and Cohens Veterans Network study, suggest that
Americans on average must wait between three and 13 weeks to see a
mental health professional. With Castlight's integrated provider
directory, individuals can quickly and easily compare care options
including behavioral health specialists, Employee Assistance
Program (EAP) providers, and telehealth services to identify the
provider who is best for them or their family. Employees can
immediately access care within the mobile app by clicking to
initiate a teletherapy visit or calling their EAP.
Cost - Optimized, Affordable Care
Castlight data show that the average annual medical cost for an
individual with a behavioral health condition is $8,800—compared to $3,800 for those without. Cost is a key concern
for individuals during COVID-19, when employees may be experiencing
financial burdens as well as increased anxiety resulting from the
economic downturn. Castlight leverages the more than 3 billion data
points powering its platform to match employees with the lowest
cost, highest-quality behavioral health providers best suited for
their individual needs. By easing navigation to in-network, free
EAP or cCBT options, Castlight can help ensure access to the most
cost effective course of therapy.
Employers interested in this solution can reach out to
info@castlighthealth.com for more information.
About Castlight Health
Castlight is on a mission to make it as easy as humanly possible
for its users to navigate the healthcare system and live happier,
healthier, more productive lives. Our health navigation platform
connects hundreds of health vendors, benefits resources, and plan
designs into one comprehensive health and wellbeing experience. We
guide individuals—based on their unique profile—to the best
resources available to them, whether they are healthy, chronically
ill, or actively seeking medical care. Castlight transforms the
employee benefit experience into a deeply personalized, yet simple,
guided one, empowering better-informed patient decisions to unlock
better healthcare outcomes and maximizing return on healthcare
investments.
Castlight, Castlight Health, and the Castlight logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Castlight Health, Inc. in
the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved.
For more information visit www.castlighthealth.com. Follow
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For more information:
Courtney Lamie
courtney@crosscutstrategies.com
(276) 492-4248
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SOURCE Castlight Health, Inc.