“Employers and other plan sponsors are increasingly looking for innovative tools to help people manage worry and anxiety, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sree Chaguturu, MD, chief medical officer at CVS Caremark, the PBM of CVS Health, in a statement.
CVS Health has launched ‘Daylight’ — an app that uses cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help employer clients and CVS employees combat anxiety. This app comes as an addition to CVS Health’s benefits platform which aims to provide employers with an all-in-one solution for voluntary benefits.
Big Health, who designed digital sleep benefit platform, Sleepio, partnered with CVS Health in creating the app. Daylight uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make personalized recommendations on therapy exercises for users experiencing anxiety and stress. Conducted through animated videos designed and produced by Pixar story artists, users are able to access a range of exercises and techniques. A recent study found that the Daylight platform has helped alleviate anxiety in 71% of participants.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States. 56 percent of those suffering from anxiety find it negatively impacts their work performance, while 51 percent feel it can cause struggle with coworker relationships.
“More than anything, the pandemic has put into the spotlight a second pandemic that has always been here: people not getting help for mental health. We’re very excited to be able to offer a more accessible solution to many people through this partnership.”
Peter Hames, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Big Health
CVS Health plans to continue building its suite of voluntary benefits to include offerings that hone in on weight loss, women’s health, and metabolic health. These initiatives follow benefit solutions surrounding heart health, diabetes, chronic pain, caregiving, and mindfulness strategies; as well as an announcement of plans to develop an employer-sponsored insurance product to cover gene therapy.
Information provided by Employee Benefit News.