The psychological well being of our youngest members has by no means been extra vital. 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 circumstances like anxiousness and melancholy have been on the rise amongst kids, adolescents, and younger adults. And the World Happiness Report 2024 reveals happiness amongst younger individuals has declined within the U.S.
Certainly one of each six kids has a diagnosable psychological well being situation.1 As well as:
- Practically 60 % of youth with main melancholy don’t obtain any psychological well being therapy.2
- Non-white youths have a 35 % decrease analysis charge of main melancholy versus white youths.3
- Greater than half of younger adults ages 18 – 21 reported signs of tension or melancholy in 2023.4
The rise in behavioral well being considerations for younger individuals doesn’t simply impression the children. Mother and father and caregivers are additionally affected, and, because of this, so are their employers. Nearly half of workers have a toddler youthful than 18. And 53 % of working dad and mom have missed work no less than as soon as per thirty days to are likely to their youngster’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 deal with serving to households discover high quality in-network behavioral well being care and enhancing availability and entry.
Enhanced Care Navigation Providers for Members
We all know that early intervention and built-in care are vital for the well-being of kids and teenagers, so we’re making it simpler for them to get the care they want rapidly.
When members want steering or care associated to their youngster’s behavioral well being, they will rely on our Behavioral Well being group, who can:
- Assess and perceive the kid’s wants
- Present details about in-network therapy choices and assets
- Put them in contact with a Behavioral Well being Case Supervisor for ongoing help
- Join them to an applicable in-network behavioral well being supplier to facilitate quick entry to the care they want
- Give in-the-moment help throughout robust occasions
Members can schedule appointments straight with an in-network supplier, or our Behavioral Well being group can straight schedule appointments with an IBX behavioral well being community supplier for them. We will help members get an appointment rapidly — normally inside per week. We work with a number of behavioral well being suppliers that supply quick entry, are culturally responsive, and supply high-quality take care of common psychological well being points.
Enriching the IBX Behavioral Well being Community
We’ve got expanded the IBX behavioral well being community by practically 50 % 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 impression 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 youngster remedy app. Their web site additionally affords myriad resources for households.
Blackbird Well being
Blackbird Health gives diagnostic evaluations and therapy for teenagers ages 2 – 26 who’re combating social, developmental, and school-related challenges. They provide each digital and in-person care. Providers embrace remedy administration and discuss remedy. Blackbird focuses on treating anxiousness, melancholy, consideration deficit dysfunction, behavioral considerations, autism evaluations, bipolar dysfunction, and developmental variations (e.g., speech/language, sensory/motor).
Handspring Well being
Handspring Health makes use of a digital, evidence-based care mannequin to deal with frequent circumstances affecting children ages 8 – 24, together with melancholy, household points, anger administration, and youngster behavioral issues. They’ve extremely skilled suppliers on workers who specialise in household psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral remedy, dialectical habits remedy, and different evidence-based approaches. Handspring Well being works intently with group companions, together with pediatricians and colleges, to make sure coordinated care.
Hopscotch
Hopscotch affords digital care for teenagers ages 1 – 26, together with discuss and play remedy. Hopscotch’s therapy mannequin consists of a web-based portal that helps remedy outdoors of reside therapy by video games, actions, and mindfulness workouts. In addition they present parental coaching to caregivers and household remedy.
Joon
Joon is a digital care mannequin designed to deal with frequent points skilled by teenagers and younger adults, ages 13 – 26. Their scientific group treats anxiousness, melancholy, stress, and different psychological well being challenges. Joon has devoted licensed therapists who can present personalised therapy plans. In addition they provide skill-building assets for sufferers and help for folks, together with non-compulsory check-ins.
IBX Members Are Not Alone
We’ve got made nice progress in making behavioral well being companies simpler for our members to entry, however we’re not executed. We’ll proceed specializing in younger members and their households and discovering methods to reinforce the advantages and assets we provide. Most significantly, we wish to educate our members about these companies in order 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.
