Spring Health Study Published in JAMA Open First to Show Both Clinical and Financial Improvements from a Workplace Mental Health Program

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Jun 09, 2022, 11:00 ET

Landmark three-year study finds nearly 70 percent of participants showed improved mental health, fewer missed workdays, increased productivity, and less likelihood of leaving their job.

NEW YORK , June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring Health, the most comprehensive global mental health solution for employers and health plans, today unveiled data from the first-ever peer-reviewed study on the efficacy and value of a workplace mental health program. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, demonstrates that participation in Spring Health's program contributed to a significant reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety while also increasing workplace productivity for individuals at companies of all sizes.

The study evaluated Spring Health's workplace mental health program and included participation from 1,132 employees at 66 employers — including small, medium, and large employers — across 40 states from January 2018 to January 2021. It is the first study to prove that a well-designed and executed employee mental health program can increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, and drive a positive financial return on investment (ROI) for employers.

Key findings include:

Nearly 70 percent of participants reliably improved their mental health
Average time to remission was 5.9 weeks
25 percent fewer missed work days
24 percent increase in productivity
Significantly higher job retention as employees were 60% less likely to leave their job
Average workplace savings of more than $7,000 per participant within the first six months

"Our workplace mental health programs are a win-win for both employees who receive support and their employers who offer this benefit," said Adam Chekroud, co-founder and president of Spring Health. "We are enormously proud of these results, which reinforce our strong belief in the value of investing in employee mental health support."

"The demand for mental health services has increased significantly since the beginning of the pandemic, and while a number of digital therapeutic services have emerged, they fail to address a huge underlying problem our employees face: timely access to high-quality mental health professionals," said Christopher Brunson, VP of Total Rewards at General Mills. "Spring Health helped us eliminate barriers to mental healthcare with clinically proven technology and access to providers who can be seen, on average, in one to two days."

Mental illness is one of the leading causes of disability. In fact, according to data from the American Psychiatric Association, employees with unresolved depression experience a 35 percent reduction in productivity, contributing to economic losses totaling $210.5 billion per year in absenteeism, reduced productivity, and medical costs. There has been significant recent investment in workplace wellness programs in an effort to improve employee mental health, but few of those programs to date have actually reported clinical improvement or financial ROI, and none have reported both together.

Spring Health's workplace mental health program encompasses several proven methods of precision mental healthcare for the whole family (ages 6+) — including comprehensive mental health screening, personal support from a licensed care navigator, on-demand digital self-help tools, and fast access to coaching, outpatient psychotherapy, and medication management. Globally, members have access to care in an average of two days or less.

The full study can be found via the following link on JAMA Network Open. For partnership or membership inquiries, please visit: https://springhealth.com/contact/.

About Spring Health
At Spring Health, we are making mental health fundamental by eliminating every barrier to care. Our comprehensive digital platform provides employers and health plans with diverse, inclusive care for individuals and families. Using clinically-proven machine learning models, we accurately assess an individual's needs and then our experienced care navigators guide the individual to the right care, whether it's coaching, meditation, therapy, medication, or another form of support. Today, Spring Health serves more than 800 companies, from startups to multinational Fortune 500 corporations, and is a preferred mental health provider to companies like General Mills, Bain, DocuSign, Allstate, and BlackRock. For more information, please visit www.springhealth.com.

About JAMA Network Open
JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

Media contacts:
For Spring Health, please contact [email protected]

SOURCE Spring Health