Providing up to 1 million students with school-based access to mental health care support

 

To address the youth mental health crisis and meet children where they spend a significant amount of time – in schools – I’m pleased to share that UnitedHealthcare is collaborating with Hazel Health the nation’s largest school-centered telehealth provider. This collaboration will allow us to provide up to 1 million students with school-based access to virtual mental health care services in up to fourteen states by 2025. We are meeting students where they spend the majority of their waking hours — at school.

This collaboration is a critical advancement in pediatric health care, one that honors and empowers families to access the care children may need, regardless of socioeconomic status, race or ethnicity. Our goal is to break down barriers to care and connect students directly to health care providers, ensuring students and their families have access to the care they need. We believe this is the future of pediatric health care.

Hazel partners with school systems to build the technological infrastructure required to bring quality health care services to where students already spend their day: at school and at home. Once Hazel is implemented, any student in that district will be able to access one of Hazel’s on-staff, licensed therapists and pediatric clinicians, before, during, and after the school day. This is especially important for students in underserved communities and/or rural areas who may have very limited access to mental health providers.

Addressing a growing need for youth mental health services

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 children suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition problem - nearly two-thirds of whom aren’t getting help.1 This is both a public health and an education problem, as extensive research shows that mental health struggles significantly impair a student’s ability to learn.2 Mental health is an essential part of a child’s overall health and their ability to succeed in school, at work, and in society. 

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness3:

  • 50% of all mental illness begin by age 14
  • Students aged 6-17 with a mental, emotional or behavioral concern are three times more likely to repeat a grade.
  • The average delay between the onset of symptoms and intervention is 11 years.
  • High school students who experience significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out compared to their peers.

Providing equitable, accessible, and clinically proven care for students

Nine out of 10 children in the U.S. spend over a decade of their most formative years in the K-12 public school system.4  This makes our schools the most effective, efficient, and equitable channel to reach 90% of the rising generation — where they already are, and when it matters most.

In a newly released study conducted by Clemson University, students experienced a significant reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms, with 75% of students falling into a lower level of clinical severity (as defined by the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales) following the completion of Hazel’s online therapy program. The program was equally effective across racial and ethnic groups, with particularly dramatic clinical improvements in higher-severity cases.5

The service was recently launched in Iowa with the intent to include additional states throughout 2024 and into 2025.

At UnitedHealthcare, we’re incredibly proud to be pioneering this school-centered care model to ensure that students have access to evidence-based, clinically proven services to improve their overall health and well-being so that they can live long and successful lives well beyond their school years.

 
 

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