California Health Care Foundation Partners with Digital Mental Health Company to Launch New
Digital Features

MIAMI, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — BeMe Health, a digital mental health company that delivers interventions designed specifically for teens, is announcing the launch of new tailored content on its platform to serve Spanish-speaking teens. 

Coinciding with National Hispanic Heritage Month, Latino/x teens can now access Spanish language content to help them manage or identify stress, navigate life transitions, deal with environmental stressors, boost their mood, celebrate their culture, or cope with first generation stress. As part of the initiative, BeMe is investing in co-creating content with teens to deliver culturally-relevant messages and images that are tailored specifically for the Latino/x community.

“We are thrilled to launch our new offering for teens who speak Spanish to reach the Latino/x community in a new, culturally-tailored way, with tremendous support from the California Health Care Foundation,” said Nicki Tessler, Chief Executive Officer of BeMe Health. “BeMe integrates evidence-based interventions with engaging content for teens and we are delighted to expand our offering for Latino/x youth.”

Content is curated with BeMe’s clinical experts and tailored to the language, experiences and culture of Latino/x youth. And it is grounded in scientific research and best practices in designing culturally appropriate digital support for the community we’re serving. BeMe’s Teen Advisory Board members, with representation from the Latino/x community, co-create the content, along with content creators, like Juan, who share personal stories that highlight their lived experiences as members of the Latino/x community.

“BeMe is combining innovation and equity in mental health care by developing tools with and for Latino/x youth who are a growing and high-need population, said Dr. Adrian Aguilera, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC San Francisco. “Too many digital platforms retrospectively consider expanding their language offerings, but BeMe is uniquely building the capacity from the outset, partnering with Latino/x teens to ensure an authentic experience for users. Instead of the continued widening of gaps due to limited access that Latino/x youth typically experience from innovative tools, BeMe will actually help reduce existing disparities in health outcomes for this community.”

A quarter of the 43 million adolescents aged 10 to 19 in the United States identify as Latino/x, with origins in 20 Latin American nations and Spain. Statistics show Latino/x youth are more likely to experience indicators of depression than teens of other ethnic origins. 

For example, 2021 CDC data show 46% of Latino/x high schoolers reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, a higher percentage than among Black, White, or Asian students; a statistic that has risen steadily over the past few years. During June 24–30, 2020, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation. BeMe aims to fill these gaps through science-backed digital tools that engage and make Latino/x teens feel seen, understood and not alone. 

“We are excited to partner with BeMe to bring evidence-based, culturally responsive mental health services to youth in California,” said Ella Schwartz, senior program investment officer at the California Health Care Foundation. In California, approximately one-third of youth in the Medicaid health care program, Medi-Cal, identify Spanish as their primary written language. And nearly one-third of the state’s counties lack child and adolescent psychiatrists, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 

“BeMe’s digital health application offers access to much-needed services, particularly for Latino/x youth, who are more likely to need mental health services and less likely to receive them. In the face of a worsening mental health crisis, we are committed to partnering with companies like BeMe to bolster the delivery of these vital services to youth enrolled in Medicaid,” said Ms. Schwartz.

This collaborative effort between BeMe and the California Health Care Foundation will go a long way in delivering culturally appropriate digital support to Latino/x youth across the nation, and closing the gap in access to and use of mental health supports in a population that has historically been underserved. 

BeMe Health is a mental health company that delivers interventions designed specifically for teens. The BeMe app provides mobile access to content, care activities, real-time coaching, as well as clinical services and crisis support as needed. BeMe is designed entirely with teens in mind, meeting them where they are – on their phones – in a fun, safe, familiar mobile modality that combines science-backed digital tools with live human connection for maximum support and impact.

The California Health Care Foundation is dedicated to advancing meaningful, measurable improvements in the way the health care delivery system provides care to the people of California, particularly those with low incomes and those whose needs are not well served by the status quo. We work to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford.

SOURCE BeMe Health