Solera Launches Headspace Mental Health Offering on the Blue Shield of California Wellvolution Platform

PHOENIX, Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Solera Health, the premier platform for connecting people seamlessly and easily to health solutions that work, announces the launch of its partner, Headspace, on the Blue Shield of California Wellvolution platform. This addition brings new services, including meditation, mindfulness, and mental training to the expansive digital health platform already available to Blue Shield members.

Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, mental and behavioral health has risen to the forefront of chronic health issues across the world. According to the United Nations, an estimated one in four people globally will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. The CDC estimates that one in five Americans will experience mental illness in a given year and according to Mental Health America's 2021 State of Mental Health report, the number of people looking for help with anxiety and depression has skyrocketed over the last year.

"Investments in digital health solutions are making it easier for people to access the tools and help needed to handle the stress and anxiety so many are experiencing," said Mary Langowski, CEO, Solera. "We bring forward-leaning payers and employers the simplicity and ease of offering new, effective, lower-cost condition management solutions to members because we have curated and vetted the health solutions providers, all seamlessly integrated through our platform. We're thrilled to power the Blue Shield of California Wellvolution platform to deliver Headspace so their members can lead a happier, healthier life."

Today's consumers seek health care that is accessible and meets them where they are, especially with mental and behavioral health services. Headspace, which joined Solera's network earlier this year, is a leading mindfulness app offering over 1,000 hours of innovative mindfulness and mental wellbeing content. Solera's expansion of Headspace to the Blue Shield Wellvolution platform will offer accessible mental wellbeing support to those looking for a solution that works for and with them.

Headspace research has demonstrated that the app's guided meditations can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and increase focus, self-esteem, and resilience. The company has found:

• 10 days of Headspace utilization resulted in 14% decrease in stress
• 8 weeks of using Headspace resulted in a 31% decrease in anxiety symptoms and 46% decrease in depressive symptoms

"There's no question that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has elevated stress levels for everyone," said Bryce Williams, vice president, Mind Body Medicine at Blue Shield of California. "Together with Solera and Headspace, our members now have access to a scientifically validated, clinically effective solution to improve their mental health and wellbeing."

"Our main focus has always been a person's mental wellbeing. While we offer mindfulness and mental training on our app, this partnership with Solera has allowed us to expand our efforts with both employers and payers," said Sarah Romotsky, director, Healthcare Partnerships Solutions, Headspace. "Our combined commitment in addressing and helping strengthen mental wellbeing has proven impactful to those looking for help beyond a simple prescription. We are excited to integrate with Blue Shield of California's Wellvolution platform to promote and foster mental health awareness and wellness."

Wellvolution is Blue Shield's digitally based lifestyle medicine and health platform that can be personalized for individual health needs and preferences. Powered by Solera Health, Wellvolution provides members guided, on-demand access to a tailored network of clinically proven apps using lifestyle to prevent, treat, and even reverse disease. It is available to most Blue Shield members with their benefit plan at no additional cost and is an example of how the nonprofit health plan is reimagining health for individuals, families, and communities. 

About Solera
Solera Health is committed to changing lives by guiding people seamlessly to better health solutions, while providing payers and employers the tools to manage providers and outcomes across conditions. Solera's platform provides a marketplace of curated networks of digital and community point solutions focused on intensive, evidence-based lifestyle, behavioral and social interventions to impact the most prevalent and costly chronic conditions. Solera strategically matches consumers to their best-fit solution and helps keep them engaged for successful health outcomes.

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.5 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $21 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid, and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $150 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last four years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

About Headspace
Headspace was created with one mission in mind: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Reaching 70 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, with 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 2,200 companies, such as Starbucks, Adobe, Hyatt, and Unilever, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher performing organizations. Headspace supports government entities like New York State and the UK's National Health Service (NHS) to offer digital mental health tools. Headspace partners with many of the world's most-recognizable brands, including Apple, Sesame Street, Spotify, Amazon, and Nike as well as Netflix for a three part mindfulness series that premiered in 2021. Headspace has been recognized as TIME100's Most Influential Companies of 2021, Fast Company's 10 most innovative social good companies of 2021 and World's Most Innovative Companies. Other accolades include Apple's Best of 2018, Samsung's Best of 2019 and one of CB Insights' top digital health companies, along with being selected for seven Webby Awards in podcasts, health and fitness. For more information, please visit us at www.headspace.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Solera Health