The psychological well being of our youngest members has by no means been extra necessary. At Independence Blue Cross (IBX), we’re strengthening our dedication to youth psychological well being by rising the IBX behavioral well being supplier community and enhancing entry for youngsters and teenage members.
Youth Psychological Well being Impacts Us All
Sadly, behavioral well being situations like nervousness and despair have been on the rise amongst youngsters, adolescents, and younger adults. And the World Happiness Report 2024 reveals happiness amongst younger individuals has declined within the U.S.
One in every of each six youngsters has a diagnosable psychological well being situation.1 As well as:
- Almost 60 p.c of youth with main despair don’t obtain any psychological well being remedy.2
- Non-white youths have a 35 p.c decrease analysis fee of main despair versus white youths.3
- Greater than half of younger adults ages 18 – 21 reported signs of tension or despair in 2023.4
The rise in behavioral well being considerations for younger individuals doesn’t simply affect the youngsters. Mother and father and caregivers are additionally affected, and, consequently, so are their employers. Virtually half of workers have a toddler youthful than 18. And 53 p.c of working dad and mom have missed work not less than as soon as per thirty days to are inclined to their little one’s psychological well being.5
For the well-being of our younger individuals and communities, IBX has strengthened its dedication to youth psychological well being with a give attention to serving to households discover high quality in-network behavioral well being care and enhancing availability and entry.
Enhanced Care Navigation Companies for Members
We all know that early intervention and built-in care are necessary for the well-being of youngsters and teenagers, so we’re making it simpler for them to get the care they want rapidly.
When members want steerage or care associated to their little one’s behavioral well being, they will rely on our Behavioral Well being crew, who can:
- Assess and perceive the kid’s wants
- Present details about in-network remedy choices and assets
- Put them in contact with a Behavioral Well being Case Supervisor for ongoing assist
- Join them to an applicable in-network behavioral well being supplier to facilitate quick entry to the care they want
- Give in-the-moment assist throughout powerful instances
Members can schedule appointments immediately with an in-network supplier, or our Behavioral Well being crew can immediately schedule appointments with an IBX behavioral well being community supplier for them. We can assist members get an appointment rapidly — often inside every week. We work with a number of behavioral well being suppliers that supply quick entry, are culturally responsive, and supply high-quality look after basic psychological well being points.
Enriching the IBX Behavioral Well being Community
We have now expanded the IBX behavioral well being community by practically 50 p.c since 2022 to make sure improved entry for each in-person and digital care choices. The robust relationships we’ve constructed with these behavioral well being suppliers ensures our members have quick entry to care with confirmed evidence-based approaches for youngsters, adolescents, younger adults, and households. Listed here are a few of them.
Little Otter
Little Otter makes use of a family-first strategy, which acknowledges that when one a part of a household unit struggles, it may possibly affect everybody. They provide digital psychological well being care for youngsters ages 0 – 14 and their households, together with remedy and psychiatry. Little Otter’s custom-made strategy features a complete platform that mixes on a regular basis wellness instruments with an award-winning little one remedy app. Their web site additionally gives myriad assets for households.
Blackbird Well being
Blackbird Well being offers diagnostic evaluations and remedy for teenagers ages 2 – 26 who’re fighting social, developmental, and school-related challenges. They provide each digital and in-person care. Companies embody remedy administration and speak remedy. Blackbird makes a speciality of treating nervousness, despair, consideration deficit dysfunction, behavioral considerations, autism evaluations, bipolar dysfunction, and developmental variations (e.g., speech/language, sensory/motor).
Handspring Well being
Handspring Well being makes use of a digital, evidence-based care mannequin to deal with frequent situations affecting children ages 8 – 24, together with despair, household points, anger administration, and little one behavioral issues. They’ve extremely skilled suppliers on employees who concentrate on household psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral remedy, dialectical conduct remedy, and different evidence-based approaches. Handspring Well being works intently with neighborhood companions, together with pediatricians and faculties, to make sure coordinated care.
Hopscotch
Hopscotch gives digital care for teenagers ages 1 – 26, together with speak and play remedy. Hopscotch’s remedy mannequin contains an internet portal that helps remedy outdoors of reside remedy by means of video games, actions, and mindfulness workout routines. Additionally they present parental coaching to caregivers and household remedy.
Joon
Joon is a digital care mannequin designed to handle frequent points skilled by teenagers and younger adults, ages 13 – 26. Their scientific crew treats nervousness, despair, stress, and different psychological well being challenges. Joon has devoted licensed therapists who can present customized remedy plans. Additionally they provide skill-building assets for sufferers and assist for folks, together with non-obligatory check-ins.
IBX Members Are Not Alone
We have now made nice progress in making behavioral well being providers simpler for our members to entry, however we aren’t carried out. We’ll proceed specializing in younger members and their households and discovering methods to boost the advantages and assets we provide. Most significantly, we need to educate our members about these providers so that they use them when they should.
1 Daniel G. Whitney, PhD, and Mark D. Peterson, PhD, “US Nationwide and State-Stage Prevalence of Psychological Well being Problems and Disparities of Psychological Well being Care Use in Kids,” JAMA
2 State of Psychological Well being in America, mhanational.org.
3 BCBSA Well being of America Youth Psychological Well being Report, 2023.
4 The Implications of COVID-19 for Psychological Well being and Substance Use, KFF.org, March 2023.
5 Nationwide Kids’s Hospital, “The Nice Collide: The Affect of Kids’s Psychological Well being on the Office,” Nationwide Basis, Feb. 22, 2022.
Little Otter, Blackbird Well being, Handspring Well being, Hopscotch, and Joon are impartial firms.
