OneHealth® Sponsors Give an Hour™ to Provide Active Military and Veterans a Peer Network and Extended Care Continuum for Mental Health Support Services

OneHealth® Sponsors Give an Hour™ to Provide Active Military and Veterans a Peer Network and Extended Care Continuum for Mental Health Support Services

<0> OneHealth Solutions, Inc.Drew Paxton, 858-947-6333 ext. 204Chief Marketing OfficerorMyla Wagner Public RelationsMyla Wagner, 925-736-7515 </0>

, the leading behavior change platform company improving health outcomes and the cost of care for patients, providers, payers and employers, has teamed with , a national nonprofit organization providing free mental health services to members of the military, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, their loved ones and their communities, to provide an online and mobile platform offering peer support for mental health–related conditions.

Members can access OneHealth’s wide range of chronic behavioral and medical communities including depression, caregiver/family support, diabetes, stress reduction, asthma, pain and obesity to give and receive anonymous support. In addition, a new Veterans community is being launched to help Give an Hour participants easily connect with one another and share stories and practical solutions.

Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour, and one of , stated, “I am excited to integrate OneHealth’s peer networking program with Give an Hour to provide resources and a forum for collaboration for veterans and their families struggling with mental health and re-integration issues. OneHealth offers a robust platform for encouraging goal setting and positive change, and will be a significant asset in extending the reach of our counseling services.”

, CEO of OneHealth, added, “OneHealth is honored to work with Give an Hour by providing access to our online and mobile platform to help extend the reach of the organization’s mental health providers to assist those who have given so much to our country: the men and women of the U.S. military, veterans and their families. ”

Give an Hour has a national network of nearly 7,000 volunteer mental health practitioners dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of troops and families, providing counseling and participating in education, training and outreach efforts in schools and communities and around military bases.

The organization’s practitioners can now refer individuals to OneHealth’s web-based platform to increase access to services, provide support between office visits and supplement the benefit of appropriate mental health services. This is the first, large-scale implementation of individual providers using the OneHealth platform to extend their care continuum.

“Over the next several years, more than one million military service members will re-enter civilian life from deployments in the Middle East, and we are proud to assist Give an Hour with the re-integration of returning service members requiring mental health support,” stated , chief medical officer of OneHealth. “We are also pleased to support Give an Hours’ work with , a campaign uniting the entertainment industry with leading veteran-focused nonprofit organizations to establish veteran reintegration in the areas of jobs, education, health, housing, family and leadership.”

OneHealth’s private, secure, HIPAA-compliant online and mobile platform is designed to help members support one another emotionally, utilizing gaming techniques coupled with the influence of family, friends and peers with similar conditions to help individuals achieve specific health goals. A hallmark of the platform is its web and mobile check-in using nearly 30 unique emoticons to acknowledge a user’s emotional status, allowing an individual’s personal network to offer support and express empathy in real-time.

OneHealth’s technology-enabled service includes a dedicated support team and access to peer health coaches, community managers, expert discussions and live online meetings and group chats where veterans can learn and interact with guest experts and peers.

In addition to its new partnership with Give an Hour, OneHealth has achieved a number of recent company milestones including securing and signing deals with , ,  and .

Give an Hour is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), founded in September 2005 by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area. The organization is dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of military personnel, their families, and the communities affected by the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of January 2013, Give an Hour has nearly 7,000 providers across the nation—in all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam—with more volunteer mental health professionals joining its network every day. In addition to counseling, providers also consult to schools, first responders, employers, and community organizations. Give an Hour has already provided over 82,000 hours of free service, valued at more than $8.2 million. To learn more, visit or .

OneHealth is the leading behavior change platform for the healthcare industry via a technology-enabled services model that lowers the costs of care management and provides greater outcomes for chronic patient populations. Our web and mobile-based Social Solutioning® program influences positive behavior to improve health and deliver measurable value through a patented combination of social-networking technology, evidence-based clinical principles and engaging game mechanics. For additional information visit .