Digital platform connects health care workers to wellness resources

The mental stability among health care workers has been a longstanding issue that has been amplified by the COVID-19 crisis, experts say. 

To combat the problem and provide workers with easy access to care, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia partnered with UnitedHealth Group to create COBALT, a digital platform that connects University of Pennsylvania Medical System workers with curated mental health and wellness content, live groups, and individual virtual support.

“There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for everyone — COVID-19, racial injustice, societal unrest, the economy — everything is piling up on people,” said Dr. Cecelia Livesey, creator of COBALT and chief of integrated psychiatric services in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn. “We need to give the workforce effective tools to take care of themselves but in a way that isn’t burdensome and that seamlessly integrates into their daily lives.”

The launch of the platform was pushed up to help workers during the pandemic, and in the first six weeks more than 7,000 workers accessed the program — with more than half choosing to do so anonymously. 

The platform uses evidence-based screening tools and contextual surveys to help provide content appropriate for each worker and refer them to the right type of provider or program for additional help, Dr. Livesey said. However, individuals can also choose a level of care, from merely viewing content to accessing peer support networks or resilience coaches, or gaining referrals to psychotherapists and psychiatrists, she said. 

The platform also screens for post-traumatic stress disorder because the “sooner you can identify symptoms of PTSD and treat it the better,” Dr. Livesey said. 

These types of in-house behavioral support programs can help employers support their staff so that they want to continue to come back to work, said Dr. Andy Furman, executive director of the clinical excellence group at nonprofit Emergency Care Resource Institute in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. 

“You’ll recover tenfold whatever you invest (in mental health support),” he said. “It’s very expensive to have to replace your staff.”

COBALT has gained attention in the medical field, said Dr. Livesey, with Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine working with Penn to expand the platform to its workers.