RIVERSIDE, Calif. & SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), Molina Healthcare of California (Molina), and BeMe Health (BeMe) have joined forces to offer access to BeMe’s digital behavioral health platform, built with and for teens, to more than 72,000 teenagers across Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The initiative provides teens with secure access to engaging mental health content and skill-building activities, as well as 1:1 coaching and connections to clinical services and 24/7 crisis support.
This new community partnership comes at a time when California, and the nation, are further ramping up efforts to expand behavioral health where services are needed most, including new legislation that helps ensure all Medi-Cal covered youth have more equal access to mental health counseling and support, as well as new grants from the California Department of Public Health to support community-led youth suicide prevention.
“During and just after the pandemic, I felt highly unmotivated and, well, just stuck,” said Ava Capen, a BeMe user from California and dedicated member of the BeMe Teen Advisory Board. “A friend introduced me to BeMe. It helped improve how I deal with stressful situations, like going back to school after the summer or preparing for a big basketball game. And it also provided me with simple calming techniques that I find myself using daily.”
IEHP, Molina, and BeMe are collaborating to provide secure, scalable mental health support to teens across 10 local educational agencies (LEAs) in California, a population that includes a high percentage of teens with diverse backgrounds. To better support and prioritize mental health equity, the BeMe app provides culturally relevant mental health services as well as science-based content tailored to languages, experiences, and culture.
This new teen mental health program builds on the current Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program (SBHIP), which supports the goals of California’s Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) program and broader efforts in California to establish a preventive, person-centered approach to health and well-being. The new three-way partnership also connects directly to the prior teen mental health collaboration between Molina and BeMe.
“Molina is proud to be making a positive difference in the lives of our teen members,” said Abbie Totten, Plan President of Molina Healthcare of California. “We believe this ongoing partnership with BeMe, and the expanded work with IEHP, will continue to empower local teens to take control of their behavioral and emotional wellness.”
IEHP is committed to supporting its youth members through initiatives focused on the whole health of a child. This includes the growing need for mental health–based support services, as half of youth mental health conditions start by the age of 14, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Our children are currently in crisis — there’s no way around it. That is why I am so thankful that IEHP, Molina, and BeMe are partnering to provide this resource to our teens,” explained Amrita Rai, IEHP’s Clinical Director of Community Behavioral Health. “Engaging in creative, positive, and resilience-based initiatives on behalf of our children is imperative right now, especially as they are inundated with negativity all around them. Instead of hoping and waiting for a teen to possibly reach out for help, BeMe brings support right to the teen, at the time they need it.”
In a recent evaluation published with Stanford University involving more than 13,000 teens across the U.S., 84% of teens reported that BeMe helps with self-esteem, 90% of teens found BeMe content helpful, and 84% of teens found BeMe coaching helpful. In a follow-up pilot evaluation with more than 400 teens using the BeMe platform, in just seven days, teens using BeMe reported 20% reduction in positive screens for moderate or severe anxiety and 11% reduction in teens screening positive for moderate or severe depression, as well as significant improvements in hope and use of coping skills.
“As a mother to two teenage daughters, I am living and breathing the real mental health challenges teens are facing today and the need for solutions that are uniquely teen-facing,” said Nicki Tessler, PsyD, MBA, CEO and Co-Founder of BeMe Health. “This community partnership with IEHP and Molina is a meaningful and collaborative solution to address the stress and anxiety felt by far too many teens, especially this time of year.”
To learn more about this community-focused, teen mental health collaboration, visit www.beme.com.
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About BeMe Health
BeMe Health is a digital behavioral health company dedicated to delivering mental health interventions tailored specifically for teens. The BeMe platform provides anytime, anywhere access to engaging content, mood reflection, and skill-building activities, as well as 1:1 coaching and connections to clinical services and 24/7 crisis support when needed. BeMe was built for and by teens, with an active Teen Advisory Board ensuring the platform aligns with their lives, and its clinically validated approach uniquely meets teens where they are — on their phones — in a safe, secure, and fun environment. BeMe works with health plans, employers, and community organizations to provide a digital-first approach to interventional teen mental health. To learn more, please visit www.beme.com or find us on LinkedIn.
About IEHP
With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans, the second largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country, and for the third year in a row, certified as A Great Place To Work®. In its 27th year, IEHP supports more than 1.6 million Riverside and San Bernardino County residents enrolled in Medicaid or IEHP DualChoice (those with both Medi-Cal and Medicare). Today, IEHP has a growing network of nearly 6,800 providers and more than 3,000 team members who are fully committed to the vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. To learn more, go to iehp.org.
About Molina Healthcare of California
Molina Healthcare of California has been providing government-funded care for over 40 years. The Company serves members through Medi-Cal, Medicare, Medicare-Medicaid (Duals) and Covered California (Marketplace). Molina’s service areas include Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Orange County, and Imperial counties. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, served approximately 5.2 million members as of June 30, 2023. For more information about Molina Healthcare of California, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
