The California Division of Well being Care Companies (DHCS) has launched the Behavioral Well being Digital Companies Platform – two free behavioral well being providers functions for all households with children, teenagers, and younger adults ages 0 to 25.
BrightLife Children, developed by Brightline, will help dad and mom and caregivers and youngsters (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 will even supply teaching providers in English and Spanish, in addition to telephone-based teaching in all Medi-Cal threshold languages.
“Children, 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.” mentioned DHCS Director Michelle Baass, in an announcement. “The instruments are versatile and free for all California households, no matter revenue, medical health insurance, or immigration standing. I urge each younger particular person and guardian in California to go to the Soluna and Brightlife Children 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 % enhance 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 children with melancholy don’t obtain remedy. This platform will assist meet the wants of California’s various youngsters, youth, and households by increasing entry to vital behavioral well being helps. Our younger individuals can have an accessible choice to get the assistance they want,” mentioned Mark Ghaly, M.D., Secretary of the California Well being & Human Companies Company, in an announcement. “The Behavioral Well being Digital Companies Platform will give youngsters, adolescents, and younger adults a brand new level of entry to high-quality providers to assist them tackle behavioral well being challenges early on, decreasing the chance of escalation to extra critical circumstances and assuaging strain on current psychological well being care suppliers.”
These new functions will complement current providers supplied by well being plans, counties, and faculties by offering extra care choices and assets for fogeys and caregivers, youngsters, 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 will even observe strong security and threat escalation protocols to make sure the security of youngsters, youth, and younger adults utilizing the apps. Educated behavioral well being professionals will monitor app utilization to determine potential dangers, and licensed behavioral well being professionals shall be on standby to intervene, if clinically applicable. Additional, every app will join customers to disaster or emergency providers, when wanted.
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