TimelyMD Adds Psychiatry & Health Coaching to College Students’ Telehealth Offerings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2020
Contact: Katie Neal, katie.neal@timelycare.com
(FORT WORTH, Texas) — TimelyMD, the nation’s leading telehealth provider specializing in higher education, is adding psychiatry and health coaching to its growing menu of services to support college students’ physical and mental health.
These new behavioral health offerings will be available this summer through licensed providers in all 50 states, seven days a week and at no cost to students, just like TimelyMD’s existing medical, talk now and scheduled counseling options.
The need for expanded psychiatric telehealth resources is particularly urgent as plans to reopen campuses this fall remain uncertain and student suffering continues. According to a recent ActiveMinds survey, 80 percent of college students say the COVID-19 crisis has negatively impacted their mental health. Since mid-March, two-thirds of students who have used TimelyMD’s Campus.Health program utilized existing mental health counseling and 15 percent of TalkNow (immediate counseling) visits have included suicidal ideation. The new offerings will further complement students’ mental well-being.
As the number of students TimelyMD serves has experienced triple-digit growth, the number of requests from student affairs professionals to consider a psychiatry service line has also increased. TimelyMD listened and now providers will have the ability to prescribe approved mental health medications, including antidepressants, mood stabilizers and antipsychotics such as ziprasidone or lithium.
The addition of health coaching will offer students wellness strategies in areas such as exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, sleep habits, weight management and body image. Guidance from health coaches is designed to supplement what many campus well-being programs offer, empowering students to adopt new lifestyle behaviors and helping them prevent chronic diseases by making healthier choices.
When students log on, they can see the profiles, faces and basic identifying details of providers available to them right then. Students can choose a specific provider or select the first available. Typically, students who choose first available are speaking with someone within 5-10 minutes.
“As social distancing measures continue, students and parents are trusting colleges and universities to do the right thing. Campus leaders can count on TimelyMD to take the weight of medical and mental health care off their worry list by providing ready-to-implement solutions that help students stay safe and healthy, wherever they may be,” said Luke Hejl, CEO and co-founder of TimelyMD. “Our expanded solutions reflect TimelyMD’s commitment to evolving with the different types of colleges and universities we support, as well as the various scenarios they are considering for this fall.”
The Evolution of Solutions
TimelyMD now offers three programs: Campus.Complete, Campus.Select and Campus.Health.
Since 2018, TimelyMD has offered schools a long-term, customizable program to provide students with a range of medical and mental health solutions. Campus.Complete offers colleges and universities the most comprehensive program, which serves as a cost-effective, high-quality extension of current on-campus services or provides services for campuses that do not have any in place. The new psychiatry and health coaching services are part of the Campus.Complete program.
In March, TimelyMD introduced Campus.Health, an immediate telehealth solution that enables students to access fast, no-cost, and coordinated medical and mental health services anytime, anywhere. Developed in response to the coronavirus, Campus.Health began as a bridge program when campuses closed and has become a trusted, value-based option with medical coverage and urgent mental health counseling.
Recognizing a subset of needs between the existing solutions, TimelyMD’s latest program, Campus.Select, allows schools to offer medical or mental health care only based on the needs of their students. In April, Duke University and Johns Hopkins University became the first to pilot a mental health only version of Campus.Select, which has provided a lifeline for students during a time of uncertainty.
TimelyMD helped Paul Quinn College implement its comprehensive medical and mental health care solution called Quinn Care at the beginning of this year. Its rollout complemented an ongoing campus-wide campaign to destigmatize mental health care and has continued to do so, even though circumstances have changed.
“We laid the groundwork for awareness pretty heavily before the pandemic hit,” said Dr. Stacia’ Alexander, mental health clinic coordinator at Paul Quinn College, whose team pivoted from in-person town halls to regular newsletters and personal emails mid-semester.
“Every time we send something to students, we remind them that they still have free access to TimelyMD’s medical care or counseling services, and both have been tremendous resources. Our goal in partnering with TimelyMD is that students make their well-being a priority, checking in with providers or therapists on an ongoing and as-needed basis.”
About TimelyMD
Focused on improving the health of student populations, TimelyMD offers colleges and universities a comprehensive, custom program centered around telehealth. TimelyMD’s campus-wide solution gives students one point of contact — anytime, anywhere — to get quality care and immediate treatment for medical or mental health concerns from board certified physicians and licensed counselors. TimelyMD’s telehealth programs optimize clinic resources and support clinic staff in delivering quality care to the right students at the right times. Contact TimelyMD for more information.
