Castlight Health Launches New Resource to Help Employers Address COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation and Vaccine Literacy

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Mar 01, 2021, 08:00 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, March 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Castlight Health, Inc. (NYSE: CSLT), a leader in healthcare navigation, today announced a new COVID-19 vaccine navigation feature embedded directly into the Castlight app. With the anticipated increase in COVID-19 vaccine availability in the coming months, the new feature provides employers with a convenient, centralized resource that allows employees to navigate COVID-19 vaccine eligibility and availability and access critical educational content that aims to improve vaccine literacy.

Vaccine Navigation is the latest example of how Castlight is helping its employer customers and their employees navigate the complex healthcare landscape during the pandemic. The Castlight Vaccine Navigation feature launched in February and was provided at no additional cost to the company's customers.

SIMPLIFYING VACCINE NAVIGATION AND INCREASING VACCINE LITERACY
From the home screen of the app, users can easily access COVID-19 vaccine resources, including a self-service chat that will guide users to available vaccines and information about vaccine guidelines in their state. Castlight's Vaccine Navigation also addresses vaccine confusion and hesitancy head-on by providing digestible, high-quality educational content that covers topics such as vaccine safety, effectiveness, and potential side effects.

In addition, Castlight's core capabilities enable employers to meet their own unique set of needs. Customers can send targeted messages about important vaccine updates to their employees or include company-specific content, such as details about an onsite vaccination clinic, directly within the app. For employees who need higher touch support, Castlight's team of benefits and claims experts, called Care Guides, are available to direct members to vaccine information and answer questions.

Ultimately, Castlight's Vaccine Navigation guides members, providing them with the resources they need to understand if they're eligible for the vaccine and directing them to available vaccination locations in their area.

WHY IT MATTERS
COVID-19 has claimed 2.5 million lives worldwide—of those lives, more than 500,000 (20%) are American. Though vaccine distribution began in mid-December of 2020, just over 14% of the 332 million people living in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Increased distribution of the vaccine will play a vital role in putting a long-awaited end to the pandemic, which will also ease the impact the virus has had on myriad aspects of a functioning society (e.g., education and the economy). Considering 27% of the public indicated they are hesitant about receiving the vaccine, providing comprehensive yet easy-to-understand vaccination education materials is crucial. According to a recent trust survey, Americans trust their employer more than the government or the media, highlighting the crucial role employers can play in being a trusted source for vaccine information and education.

"As an employer, we can play a significant role in generating more vaccine literacy among our diverse workforce population and facilitating vaccine distribution across all of our operating companies," said Suroor Raheemullah, vice president, Human Resources at Dover Corporation. "We're excited to work with Castlight to help support our employees and their families in these efforts."

Employers also have the opportunity to be an essential partner in facilitating vaccine distribution. A recent survey of a group of Castlight customers showed that COVID-19 vaccinations are top of mind, and the majority are prioritizing vaccine access, education, and proactive outreach. Vaccine Navigation is an invaluable tool to help them achieve these goals.

CASTLIGHT'S ONGOING ROLE IN COVID-19 NAVIGATION
Castlight, best-known for its high-tech and high-touch healthcare navigation platform, has been committed to helping its customers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic since the early days of the pandemic in the U.S. The company built the first comprehensive nationwide COVID-19 Test Site Finder, developed a return to work solution called Working Well, offered the Castlight Behavior Health solution at no additional cost to customers, and leveraged their data and analytics capabilities to identify and reach out to vulnerable populations.

"It's in our DNA as a company to help our customers navigate the complexities of healthcare, whatever those may be," said Maeve O'Meara, chief executive officer of Castlight Health. "COVID-19 has made healthcare navigation even more critical, and our configurable, easy-to-use, yet comprehensive Vaccine Navigation solution will help guide employees and families to critical COVID vaccine information and resources."

About Castlight Health

Castlight is on a mission to make it as easy as humanly possible for people to navigate the healthcare system and live happier, healthier, more productive lives. As a leader in healthcare navigation, we provide a world-class digital platform with a team of clinical and benefits experts to help members easily connect and engage with the right programs and care, at the right time. Castlight partners with Fortune 500 companies and health plans to transform employee and member benefits into one comprehensive health and wellbeing experience to deliver better health outcomes and maximize returns on healthcare investments.

For more information visit www.castlighthealth.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook.

Media Contacts:

Caroline Kawashima
Castlight Health
[email protected]

Saige Smith
Castlight Health
[email protected]

SOURCE Castlight Health, Inc.