Big Health doubles its ‘lives covered’ as COVID-19 drives demand and adoption of solutions for good mental health

Company announces additions to senior management team; employment doubles to meet demand in 2020

San Francisco,  March 31st, 2021 — Big Health, a digital therapeutics company dedicated to helping millions back to good mental health, today announced that it more than doubled its number of ‘lives covered’ in 2020 and has recorded industry leading utilization rates upwards of 40%, which compares favorably to the low single digit utilization rates of many telehealth providers.

In addition, the company announced several milestones reflecting the growing demand for and adoption of its evidence based digital health solutions, Sleepio and Daylight, for poor sleep and worry and anxiety. Sleepio and Daylight provide millions of employees — from retail, logistics and healthcare workers on the front lines of COVID-19 to knowledge workers — more equitable access to care compared to in-person or virtual therapy sessions that often are not covered by insurance plans.  

Accessible mental health is a critical piece of health care policy and a 2020 study conducted by the Henry Ford Health System and researchers at the University of Oregon concluded that Sleepio and other digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (dCBT) for insomnia promoted health resilience during COVID-19 among those participating in the study.  The study provides evidence that dCBT is a powerful tool to promote mental and physical health during stressful times.

The company today announced:

• Forward looking companies like Delta Air Lines have chosen Sleepio and Daylight to support the diverse mental health needs of their employees during one of the most stressful years in memory — ranging from essential, frontline workers to office-based employees in need of accessible and affordable digital health options.
• In 2020, both the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Scotland’s NHS began offering Big Health’s products — Sleepio and Daylight — to nearly 2 million of its front line employees (nurses, doctors, etc) in response to the mental health challenges of COVID-19.
• The company more than doubled employee growth in 2020 with the addition of 57 employees. The company expects to hire a minimum of 40 additional employees by the end of 2021 to support the rapid adoption of its digital mental health solutions.
• Big Health solutions Sleepio and Daylight have demonstrated more than a 70% clinical recovery rate for those suffering from poor sleep and worry and anxiety, respectively. With 56 research papers, including 26 peer-reviewed publications and 13 RCTs, Big Health is committed to rigorous research on its digital mental health solutions, has received more citations than any other digital mental health provider and has conducted more clinical RCTs on its products than most pharmaceutical companies.
• Big Health recently augmented its senior leadership team by adding five new experienced executive leaders, including Chief Operating Officer Stephen Taylor; Karlie Jessop, VP of Sales; Kurt Heinemann, VP of Marketing; Mustafa Nafar, VP of Finance, and Michael Radocchia, VP of Healthcare Strategy and New Markets.

“COVID-19 has created an unparalleled mental health crisis globally and it’s vital to provide people the tools to help themselves return to good mental health,” said Peter Hames, Co-founder and CEO, Big Health. “We are at the forefront of a new chapter of health care that packages the tools, knowledge and skills of in-person therapy into a research-driven therapeutic to treat millions of people efficiently and effectively.”

“The national mental health crisis prompted by COVID-19 and the anti-racism protests of 2020 has disproportionately impacted Black, Indigenous People of Color, many of whom are essential workers.” said Dr. Juliette McClendon, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. “Evidence-based digital therapeutics offer accessible and affordable mental health options for those who don’t have the scheduling flexibility and economic resources needed to access psychotherapy virtually or in person.”

About Big Health

Big Health’s purpose is to help millions back to good mental health, with digital therapeutics that feature highly personalized behavioral programs for mental health. Big Health’s products are Sleepio™ for helping individuals address poor sleep; and Daylight™ for helping individuals address worry and anxiety. Designed by leading clinical experts, Big Health’s solutions feature evidence-based cognitive and behavioral techniques and are backed by more than 26 peer-reviewed research studies including 13 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). With offices in London and San Francisco, Big Health’s products are used by large multinational employers and major health plans to help improve sleep and mental health, covering millions of employee lives.