Increasing demand for #mentalhealth resources drives the need for 24/7 virtual care, according to new data from @TimelyMD.
In the first half of the fall semester (August 1-October 31, 2021), they examined mental health visits made through the TimelyCare app.
As a result, the accessibility to 24-hour virtual care was more important than ever to students. The number of mental health visits nearly quadrupled from August to October.Â
Students seek care for the following 3: 1) anxiety, 2) depression, 3) general stress. Suicidal ideation has also increased, and intent and eating disorders, say providers.
One-fourth of counselling centre visits occurred after business hours. It takes only 4 minutes for students who have no appointments to speak with a provider (on-campus wait times often extend over days or weeks).
Over this period, 92% of students attended scheduled therapeutic counselling sessions or requested on-demand emotional support (TalkNow). Another eight per cent sought psychiatric treatment or health coaching.
(A psychology major at Coastal Carolina University, which rolled out TimelyCare to all students in August, said) It’s nice to have that virtual option where you can talk to someone at the moment, like right now.
The experience made me realize that I should take care of myself and seek support if I need physical or emotional help.” (View video).
GOAL OF TIMELYCARE
Universities and colleges that partner with TimelyMD can broaden their health, wellness, and counselling services exponentially.
The goal of TimelyCare is to improve student well-being, engagement, and retention by offering a 24/7 virtual extension to campus resources.
They have built an extensive network of student service providers and a full-time marketing team to help students whenever needed. The pandemic poured gasoline on and further ignited smouldering challenges to student well-being, which TimelyCare addresses.
The University of Virginia recently partnered with TimelyMD to offer both in-person and virtual counselling to its students.
UVA director of counselling and psychological services, Nicole Ruzek, said UVA students preferred both options. Due to nearly half of TimelyMD’s providers being Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), more students from families or cultural backgrounds with mental health needs can access mental health care.
Ruzek told UVA Today that this new service offers students access to a wide range of therapists.
Hence, students seeking to connect with a provider of a particular racial or religious background or knowledge of a specific area can search for such providers and get connected.
The company tells us they will hire more staff if they can accommodate the needs of students if such providers are not available. If a student is seeking specific information, they are open to feedback.
TimelyMD DEDICATION
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, TimelyMD was the only telehealth company dedicated to higher education. It now serves more than 130 colleges around the country, including Duke University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Notre Dame, and many HBCUs, community colleges and liberal arts colleges.
The TimelyMD team continues to innovate on the front lines of transforming student care thanks to a $60 million investment earlier this year.
View the TimelyCare platform from the student and provider perspectives, and learn more about the technology. Nov. 3 and Nov. 9 are the dates of the sessions.
Providing telehealth services to universities and colleges is the speciality of TimelyMD. Providing 24/7 access to virtual medical and mental health care improves the well-being of college students.
By providing continuity of care to hundreds of thousands of students across more than 130 colleges and universities, TimelyCare optimizes campus resources and supports clinical staff.
Every aspect of the students’ lives is flourishing through TimelyCare’s wide-ranging telehealth and teletherapy services, including on-demand medical care, mental health counselling, psychiatric support, health coaching, and educational resources.
