Brightline Launches First Covid-19 Behavioral Health Indicator (COBI) to Help Parents Concerned About Children's Mental Health

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Brightline, the first family-focused behavioral health platform for children and families, announces the launch of a new public health initiative to help parents learn about potential behavioral health impacts of Covid-19 on children's behavioral health. The Covid-19 Behavioral Health Indicator ("COBI") will launch online and be available for free, nationwide, on October 13 via www.hellobrightline.com/cobi.

COBI is a 30-question survey that helps parents inform themselves about how their family is doing in four key areas that may be linked to children's wellness, including pre-existing medical and behavioral health conditions, direct effects of Covid-19, psychological stress, and family resilience. COBI is intended to equip parents with information to facilitate a conversation with a health care provider.

"As a mom of three young kids, these past months there have been so many times I have wondered if my kids are weathering this pandemic okay," said Naomi Allen, Brightline CEO and Co-Founder. "The social and emotional impact is hard to fathom. I wanted families everywhere to have a way to learn about their children's well-being and have practical tools to help if their kids are being impacted by all the stressors surrounding Covid-19."

The initiative comes at a time when one in three children living under Covid-19 lockdowns are dealing with feelings of loneliness, nervousness, and irritability (United Nations). A recent study by Save The Children found that fifty percent of children say they were worried, and more than sixty five percent struggled with boredom or feelings of isolation.

"Families have lost their usual benchmarks like school and peer interactions to know how their kids are doing. Brightline is providing COBI to provide parents with a way to learn about four important areas that may be linked with children's behavioral health," said David Grodberg, MD, MS, Chief Medical Officer at Brightline. "We hope parents can then use this information to facilitate a conversation with a pediatric healthcare professional to seek behavioral health screening."

A number of healthcare organizations, technology groups and investors saw the need for an indicator like COBI, and have partnered with Brightline to support and share the tool through their members and networks. These include Boston Children's Hospital, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, and Castlight Health, family benefits platform Cleo, Sequoia Consulting Group, Pacific Business Group on Health, investors Oak HC/FT, Rock Health, Threshold Ventures, City Light, and the Going Digital: Behavioral Health Tech network.

Brightline is the first behavioral health platform specifically built to support children and their families. Brightline brings together multidisciplinary behavioral health care, including behavior therapy and medication support, speech therapy, and soon occupational therapy within a single comprehensive care platform. With its family-focused approach, Brightline provides continuous training, coaching, and support for parents.

The Brightline platform addresses a range of childhood behavioral health and developmental needs, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, disruptive behavior, executive function issues, and other needs requiring occupational therapy and speech language therapy support. Currently, Brightline's services are available to families across California, with immediate plans to enter Massachusetts next and expansion across the country next year.

*Note: COBI is not a mental health screening tool, a diagnostic assessment, or a risk index. It cannot identify risk for behavioral health conditions or recommend treatment pathways.

All clinical services are provided by licensed physicians and clinicians practicing within an independently owned and operated professional practice known as "Brightline Medical Associates, Inc." Brightline, Inc. does not itself provide any physician, behavioral health professional, or other healthcare provider services.

About Brightline
Founded in 2019, Brightline is reinventing behavioral health care for children and families, bringing together innovative technology, virtual behavioral health services, and an integrated care team focused on supporting children across developmental stages and their families. Brightline is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA and expanding quickly to support families across the country. Learn more at hellobrightline.com

SOURCE Brightline

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