The California Division of Well being Care Providers (DHCS) has launched the Behavioral Well being Digital Providers Platform – two free behavioral well being providers purposes for all households with youngsters, teenagers, and younger adults ages 0 to 25.
BrightLife Youngsters, developed by Brightline, will help mother and father and caregivers and kids (0-12), and Soluna, developed by Kooth, will serve teenagers and younger adults (13-25). Customers can entry 1-1 help with licensed wellness coaches, instructional content material, self-help instruments, goal-setting and journaling workout routines, assessments, and peer communities, all of that are moderated by licensed behavioral well being professionals to make sure security. Every app may also supply teaching providers in English and Spanish, in addition to telephone-based teaching in all Medi-Cal threshold languages.
“Youngsters, teenagers, and younger adults are dealing with a psychological well being disaster. To ensure our youth have one other path to entry wanted behavioral well being providers, the state is launching two new apps to present younger Californians and their caregivers entry to the skilled assist they want.” stated DHCS Director Michelle Baass, in an announcement. “The instruments are versatile and free for all California households, no matter earnings, medical insurance, or immigration standing. I urge each younger individual and mother or father in California to go to the Soluna and Brightlife Youngsters apps to see if they’re proper for them.”
Nationwide, charges of tension, melancholy, and self-harm are climbing. Between 2019 and 2021, about one-third of California adolescents skilled critical psychological misery, with a 20 % improve in adolescent suicides. In the meantime, the nationwide psychological well being supplier scarcity is inflicting longer wait occasions for appointments to community-based psychological well being suppliers.
“About two-thirds of California youngsters with melancholy don’t obtain therapy. This platform will assist meet the wants of California’s various kids, youth, and households by increasing entry to essential behavioral well being helps. Our younger individuals can have an accessible choice to get the assistance they want,” stated Mark Ghaly, M.D., Secretary of the California Well being & Human Providers Company, in an announcement. “The Behavioral Well being Digital Providers Platform will give kids, adolescents, and younger adults a brand new level of entry to high-quality providers to assist them handle behavioral well being challenges early on, decreasing the probability of escalation to extra critical circumstances and assuaging strain on present psychological well being care suppliers.”
These new purposes will complement present providers provided by well being plans, counties, and faculties by offering extra care choices and sources for folks and caregivers, kids, youth and younger adults in California.
Each apps should meet accessibility necessities and have strict privateness and confidentiality necessities and should adhere to all relevant state legal guidelines and rules pertaining to privateness and safety. Every app may also comply with strong security and threat escalation protocols to make sure the protection of kids, youth, and younger adults utilizing the apps. Skilled behavioral well being professionals will monitor app utilization to determine potential dangers, and licensed behavioral well being professionals might be on standby to intervene, if clinically acceptable. Additional, every app will join customers to disaster or emergency providers, when wanted.
