Demand for Student Mental Health Support Fuels Continued Growth and Innovation for TimelyCare
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2023
Contact: Gina Katzmark, gina.katzmark@timelycare.com, 218.310.2259
Higher education’s undisputed virtual care leader expands access to care for millions
(FORT WORTH, TX) — TimelyCare, higher education’s most trusted virtual health and well-being provider, is closing out another momentous year accentuated by national recognition for exceptional growth, technological innovation, enhanced care delivery and workplace culture excellence.
TimelyCare expands critically needed access to virtual mental health, medical care and/or basic needs assistance to more than two million students at more than 350 colleges and universities. With the addition of more than 130 new campus partners this year, one in every 10 students across the country can now access TimelyCare for 24/7 support. New customers include system-wide partnerships with The University of Texas, Texas State University and Indiana University; Brown University, Stanford University, and New Mexico State University; more than 40 community colleges; and a landmark agreement with the Sun Belt Conference.
“As we build upon this momentum and scale for sustainable growth, our commitment to delivering value and innovation remains unwavering,” said Luke Hejl, TimelyCare co-founder and CEO. “Our vision to help students be well and thrive resonates now more than ever. We continue to enhance our platform to meet students where they are, drawing inspiration from customer feedback and proactively anticipating the ever-evolving demands of the market.”
Watch TimelyCare’s end-of-year video about the impact we’re making on higher education.
Unprecedented Demand Requires Best-in-Class Care Quality
This year, students, faculty and staff have had more than a million sessions with TimelyCare, including 24/7 access to provider visits, self-care resources and Peer Community. Half of all visits occur on nights and weekends when campus health services are typically closed, underscoring the need for around-the-clock access.
“While Brown University is fortunate to have a diverse, experienced, and relatively large team of licensed therapists and psychiatrists, increasing demand for our services contributed to delays in students accessing counseling. We partnered with TimelyCare to increase access to care – particularly outside of our business hours – to ensure our students can get mental health support whenever and wherever they need it,” said Dr. Bryant Ford, Director for Counseling and Psychological Services at Brown University.
Expanded access to care improves the health and academic outcomes of college students, empowering them to succeed in school and thrive in all aspects of their lives. In fact, 85% of community college students and 77% of bachelor’s degree-seeking students report being more likely to improve their grades and complete their studies with the help of TimelyCare. Three out of four students report mental health improvement.
Students overwhelmingly agree, giving high marks to TimelyCare, with an average rating of 4.95 out of 5 stars for providers from more than 65,000 survey responses and 4.9 out of 5 stars in the Apple app store.
“We shoulder the profound responsibility of nurturing the mental health and well-being of college students,” said Bob Booth, Chief Care Officer at TimelyCare. “Colleges and universities that choose TimelyCare appreciate a partnership that mirrors their unwavering commitment to student health and well-being. Our partners can rest easy when they go home at night because TimelyCare is always there for students who need them the most.”
See how colleges and universities – including National University, Virginia Tech, Western Colorado University, Claflin University, El Camino College and American River College – benefit from TimelyCare.
Differentiated Technology and Product Innovation
Demand for self-guided support grew exponentially in 2023. Recognizing that most college students with mental health issues turn to peers first, TimelyCare enhanced Peer Community features over the past year, creating an easily navigable, safe online space for students to support and encourage each other.
TimelyCare also identified a trend of students wanting to take charge of their physical and emotional well-being on their own time and in their own space, so the company introduced Self-Care Journeys. This expanding suite of evidence-based tools, techniques and therapeutic practices features topics that frequently impede academic performance, guiding users through a learning trajectory mirroring typical treatment and advising them about when to seek higher levels of care.
Given that half of students using TimelyCare’s digital self-care resources and Peer Community do not seek provider visits, the need for additional, self-guided on-ramps for support is evident.
TimelyCare also introduced TimelyCampus this year, a care collaboration portal that allows campus clinicians to more easily ensure continuity of care, update customized care protocols and receive important care updates about their students using TimelyCare.
Industry-Leading Collaborations
Partnerships have played a pivotal role in sustained growth and success. A first-of-its-kind partnership with Violet improved TimelyCare providers’ cultural competence and inclusive care delivery for BIPOC, LGBQ and TGNC students. Violet found TimelyCare leads the industry in inclusivity, with 10% more benchmarked clinicians than the industry average. Ongoing collaborations with industry leaders like Active Minds, The Jed Foundation, NASPA and ACCT continue to promote education and innovation surrounding student mental health, well-being and suicide prevention.
“In order to bolster student success and promote resilience, it is imperative to adopt a comprehensive approach to health and well-being that reflects each student’s lived experience,” said Becky Laman, Chief Strategy Officer at TimelyCare. “As TimelyCare expands its impact in 2024, we remain focused on working hand-in-hand with our campus and industry partners to improve student outcomes inside and outside the classroom.”
