Amid Growing Global Health Crisis, NHS Partners With Headspace To Provide All Employees Free Subscriptions To Curb Rising Stress And Anxiety

LONDON, March 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Headspace, a global leader in meditation and mindfulness, announced today it is offering free subscriptions to all 1.2 million healthcare providers and employees of the UK's National Health Service (NHS) who are facing increased demand and stress amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its scientifically validated meditation and mindfulness app, Headspace has been shown to reduce stress, increase resilience, and reduce burnout.

Rich Pierson, Co-Founder and CEO of Headspace, comments: "This is an extraordinary moment in time as we face an unprecedented global health crisis. COVID-19 has put our health professionals at the NHS under enormous pressure and they are undoubtedly experiencing mounting stress and anxiety as the situation rapidly evolves. As a Brit myself, I know first-hand the incredible work our NHS does, which is why the Headspace team is working to do all we can to support those on the front lines."

Beginning today, any NHS employee can get a free subscription to Headspace Plus by visiting www.headspace.com/nhs and enroll using their NHS email. All subscribers will get free access to all 1200+ hours of meditation and mindfulness content through December 31, 2020. Additionally, internal NHS "Wellbeing Leads" will have access to Headspace for Work's specially-curated workplace toolkit and content hub. This includes tools and resources designed to inspire and support NHS employees in caring for their mental health.

The program coincides with the roll-out of NHS Chief People Officer, Prerana Issar's, 'People Plan', which is a long-term initiative designed to support those in the NHS, signaling mental health as a significant area of focus.

Headspace and the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are currently conducting the largest workplace wellness study into the effects of Headspace on NHS staff wellbeing. Headspace also recently announced that it will be providing free Headspace Plus subscriptions to all healthcare professionals working in public health settings in the US through 2020 to address rising levels of stress and burnout during the global COVID-19 pandemic, on top of its existing partnership with the American Medical Association, American System of Health Pharmacists and Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation, an initiative of the American Nurses Association.

Healthcare professional burnout has been identified as a major issue to address due to its adverse impacts for both healthcare professionals and patients. Research shows mindfulness meditation can positively impact many of the factors related to burnout, including stress and depression. Headspace research specifically shows 14% reduction in burnout after only four sessions among health care professionals and 12% reduction in stress for medical students after 30 days.

In addition to its efforts to help healthcare workers in the US and UK, Headspace has also unlocked a free "Weathering the storm" collection in-app, a free selection of meditation, sleep and other experiences designed to support consumers around the world during the COVID-19 outbreak. The collection is available in the "Explore" tab and is available for users worldwide.

For more information on Headspace, please visit www.headspace.com.

About Headspace:

Headspace was created with one mission in mind: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Reaching more than 60 million users in 190 countries, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. Headspace is committed to advancing the field of mindfulness through clinically-validated research, having one of the largest research pipelines of any digital health and wellness company. Headspace operates a B2B business (Headspace for Work) to offer its mindfulness products and services to more than 600 companies, such as Starbucks, Adobe, GE, Hyatt and Unilever, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures, and higher performing organizations. Headspace partners with many of the world's most-recognizable brands, including Apple, Amazon, and more. Headspace also partners with brands like Nike, NBA, and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team to offer sport and movement content. In 2018, Headspace launched Headspace Health, a digital health subsidiary pioneering new ways to incorporate the Headspace mindfulness experience into digital medicine. Headspace has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies, Apple's Best of 2018, Samsung's Best of 2019 and one of CB Insights' top digital health companies, along with being selected for five Webby Awards in health and fitness between 2018 and 2019. For more information please visit us at www.headspace.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Headspace

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