Why WakeMed is Using Calm Health to Support the Mental Health of High-Risk Patient Populations
“We desperately try to connect patients to mental healthcare, because what we’ve learned over and over again is that mental health drives the physical conditions.”
Brian Klausner, MD
Executive Medical Director
WakeMed Center for Community Health, Innovation, and Equity
Industry: Healthcare
Size: 12,899 employees
About WakeMed Health and Hospital
Innovation and equity are at the heart of WakeMed Health and Hospitals’ approach to caring for the people of Wake County, NC. As the county’s primary safety-net provider, WakeMed collaborates with the community to target health inequities and improve outcomes for vulnerable, high-risk populations.
The population challenge
Serving high-risk populations laid the foundation for WakeMed’s increasing focus on upstream mental health. “We desperately try to connect patients to mental healthcare, because what we’ve learned over and over again is that mental health drives the physical conditions,” said Klausner.
For example, the tight link between mental and physical health shaped WakeMed’s support for a woman who was homeless, pregnant with twins, and facing addiction, stress, and severe sleep disruption. The clinical team secured temporary housing and connected her with the Calm app for daily mindfulness and sleep support. “It was awesome. She did really well, and it helped,” said Klausner. The support she received for stress, anxiety, and sleep reduced her risk of preterm birth, and she delivered healthy twins at 36 weeks. This success ultimately led to WakeMed’s decision to adopt Calm Health as a key resource to address growing health inequities around mental health, empower patients, and improve the health of populations throughout the community. Read the full story
The Calm Health approach
Calm Health offers mental health screenings, an extensive library of evidence-based programs to support people with chronic conditions, life transitions, and mental health challenges; and a wide selection of mindfulness resources and tools, including breathing exercises.
In Calm Health, Dr. Klausner saw a resource that could help close a widening gap in mental health care by offering accessible, zero-risk support to people with mild‐to‐moderate anxiety and depression before symptoms escalate.
The results
72%
have completed a mental health screening for symptoms of anxiety and depression
86%
have recorded a topic of interest, such as anxiety/worry, stress, or body image
89%
have recorded a goal, such as sleeping better, increasing happiness, and reducing stress or anxiety
