CVS company Aetna expands youth mental health programs

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — COVID-19 has brought forward many risk factors for depression and suicide among America’s youth, leading three of the nation’s top pediatric healthcare organizations to declare a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health.

“Isolation and loss from COVID-19 combined with our social media culture have led adolescents to feel more alone, and more stigmatized, in their mental health challenges,” said Cara McNulty, DPA, President, Aetna Behavioral Health. “As a result, we are expanding several programs and services to gear our efforts directly toward youth as part of our steadfast commitment to mental wellbeing and suicide reduction.”

Aetna, a CVS Health company, has recently expanded ongoing programs with Psych Hub, the world’s most comprehensive platform for mental health education, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Oui Health/Vita Health to directly support this crucial age group.

This effort is also part of Aetna’s comprehensive strategy to reduce suicide attempts by 20 percent by the year 2025.

Aetna also continues to work directly with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). For several years, Aetna and AFSP have collaborated to implement evidence-based practices and conduct suicide prevention trainings to improve the mental health of Aetna members and reduce suicide in the community.

Aetna’s Caring Contacts program, which has shown up to a 70 percent reduction of repeat suicide attempts with adults who have received the postcards, was also adapted for adolescents who have been discharged from an inpatient stay after a suicide attempt in 2021.

This program has now been expanded to adolescents being discharged from emergency departments and to other adolescents who may benefit from such support.

External Affairs Manager Shannon Dillon noted that concerns about inflation also run parallel with the data about the impact on mental health.

For more information on Aetna and CVS Health’s mental wellbeing program, you can view their website by clicking here.