TimelyCare app available for free to improve student well-being

A new partnership between The University of New Mexico and TimelyCare,  a virtual health and well-being provider used by many higher education facillites, is giving students at the Gallup branch campus access to free and equitable mental health support, medical care and basic needs assistance.

The partnership with TimelyCare is an extension of campus health and counseling center resources offered by UNM Student Health and Counseling, with a goal of improving student well-being, engagement and retention.

“Mental health has a direct impact on the well-being and safety of students, which ultimately impacts their educational success,” UNM-Gallup Student Affairs Director Jayme McMahon said. “Prioritizing and increasing student access to mental health support is pivotal in supporting students overall. Implementation of TimelyCare helps remove the barrier of access for students seeking help while also destigmatizing the need for these types of services on college campuses.”

UNM-Gallup Chancellor Sabrina Ezzell said the arrival of the new telehealth service is well timed based on feedback from the 2023 UNM Basic Needs Survey, which found high levels of food insecurity and housing insecurity among the students, staff and faculty at the Gallup campus.

“TimelyCare will help us meet the mental health needs of our students so they can be successful in their academic pursuits as we continue to work on other avenues and resources within our own campus community,” Ezzell said.

The need for 24/7 access to high-quality care has never been more important. According to the American Council on Education, student mental health is the top concern of college and university presidents. It’s also the number one reason students leave college. A recent report by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that 69% of students in bachelor’s degree programs who considered dropping out cited emotional stress as their reason.

Through TimelyCare on their phone or other device, UNM-Gallup students can now select from a wide-ranging menu of virtual care options from licensed physicians and counselors in all 50 states — at no cost and without the barrier  of traditional insurance — including:

• On-demand and appointment-based medical care.
• On-demand mental health and emotional support (TalkNow).
• Appointment-based mental health counseling (up to 12 sessions each academic year).
• Psychiatric support.
• Health coaching.
• Basic Needs assistance.
• Care navigation.
• Peer support community.
• Digital self-care content.

Additionally, UNM-Gallup faculty and staff have access to support that empowers them to guide students to TimelyCare resources to help students achieve a sense of well-being, live healthier lifestyles and improve their mental health.

Benefits to students include:

• Convenient 24/7 care — Physical and mental health issues often present themselves outside regular business hours, and TimelyCare makes seeking support or treatment as easy and convenient as making a video or phone call. Nationally, more than 40% of mental health care visits through TimelyCare occur after regular business hours or on weekends.
• Reduced wait times — Many campus counseling centers often have a two-three week wait time for appointments, whereas students can typically connect with a TimelyCare provider in less than five minutes.
• Diverse provider network — TimelyCare’s diverse and culturally responsive provider network reflects and is proud to serve students who embody diversity in race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, age, religion and worldview, language, health, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic and immigration status, and more. More than half of mental health providers identify as people of color. The platform also offers professionals who identify as LGBTQIA+, speak multiple languages, and translation services to support more than 240 languages. Students scheduling services can choose to meet with a specific provider or select the first available.
• Peace of mind – TimelyCare is a safe, secure, URAC-accredited and HIPAA-compliant platform that follows campus-specific protocols to facilitate care coordination and follow-up to ensure continuity of care. Integrations with leading learning management systems ensure students have even more on-ramps to in-the-moment support whenever they need it.

Three-quarters of college students who accessed virtual mental health and well-being interventions through TimelyCare reported mental health improvements — including 100% of those who presented as a potential suicide risk. More than half of all students who have sought mental health support through TimelyCare said they would have done nothing if the service were not available.

“When it comes to supporting student outcomes, the need for equitable, on-demand access to care has never been more important,” TimelyCare CEO and co-founder Luke Hejl said. “TimelyCare enables colleges and universities to expand on-campus resources and transform the way students receive care through agency, speed, and freedom of choice that they’ve come to expect in their everyday lives. TimelyCare is proud to serve as an extension of Student Health and Counseling Center resources to create a comprehensive, whole-student care solution that empowers students to seek care in a way that feels comfortable and convenient for them.”

To access TimelyCare,  students can go to timelycare.com/unm or download the TimelyCare app (iOS or Android) to register with their  name and UNM email address. Students can then have visits from any web-enabled device: smartphone, laptop or desktop. TimelyCare is available from anywhere in the U.S.