Sleeping is a vital process that maintains the internal and external mechanisms of your body. It promotes healing, rejuvenation, and overall health and well-being. Sleeping trouble is not only limited to being unable to sleep but also getting poor sleep quality, insufficient sleep, and waking up feeling tired and sluggish. You may notice the difference between getting a good night’s sleep and poor sleep by how alert, sharp, and invigorated you feel the next day.

Getting enough sleep also helps you recover from exhaustion, stress, mental and emotional distress, and ailments by flushing toxins out from your brain and body and facilitating cell regeneration in these areas. Imagine if you are frequently sleep-deprived or getting poor sleep quality. It can have a detrimental impact on your overall health and increase the risk of developing health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes, and mental disorders. To help you maintain good health and well being, we will share some of the things you can do if you have trouble sleeping.

Use Sleeping Aids

Although this approach does not necessarily have to be your first option among the ways of treating your sleep troubles, these interventions are effective to some extent. Sleeping aids can be classified as medical and physical, and we will discuss some of these options.

Medical Sleeping Aids

Many people who have trouble sleeping or have sleep disorders such as insomnia, restless legs syndrome, shift work sleep disorder, and delayed sleep phase disorder often use over-the-counter medications to help them sleep better. These medications have varying effectiveness and can also cause daytime drowsiness if you don’t get 7-8 hours of sleep after taking them. CBD product experts from ulu.com recommend CBD oil as an organic and safe alternative for sleeping medications. CBD has a natural sedative effect on the body and does not have the side-effects of most over-the-counter sleeping pills and medications. It also relieves stress, anxiety, and chronic pain, which are common underlying causes of sleep problems.

Natural Sleeping Aids

There are natural supplements that you can use to promote sufficient and quality sleep. Valerian root is a well-known herbal supplement that has a long history of medical use. It has been used as a natural treatment for anxiety, depression, and insomnia as early as the second century A.D. Ongoing research and studies are being conducted on the use of valerian as a safe and non-habit-forming sleeping aid, and some studies are showing promising results.

Melatonin is a hormone that our bodies produce naturally. Dubbed as a sleep hormone, its production increases at night and signals the brain and the body to enter sleep mode. Melatonin hormones are particularly effective in treating sleep problems caused by shift work and jet lag. It also helps with other sleep disorders by shortening the time needed to fall asleep and lengthening the time spent sleeping.

Magnesium is another mineral and natural supplement that plays a significant role in getting good sleep. It is known to be involved in various body processes, including brain function and heart health maintenance. It helps relax the muscle, calm the mind, and regulate melatonin production to make sleeping easier. When magnesium is taken as a supplement—for example from a company such as RnA ReSet—along with melatonin and vitamin B complex, it shows remarkable effectiveness in treating amnesia.

Use Natural Relaxation and Calming Aids

Having a relaxed mind and body and a feeling of calmness are precursors of good sleep, and there are many ways of getting relaxed while you tuck yourself into bed. Aromatherapy is an effective way of relieving stress, easing muscle tensions, and relaxing your mind and body. Lavender is one of the most well-known aromatherapy ingredients that has a soothing fragrance that promotes somnolence and sleep. Using lavender-scented natural oils can help you get to sleep easier and sleep longer because of its relaxing effects.

Chamomile is another natural calming aid that can be used as an aromatherapy ingredient or as a tea to promote sleep. It has a gentle scent and a mild sedative effect that helps you fall asleep quickly. Drinking chamomile tea 30 to 60 minutes before sleeping can calm your senses and get you drowsy and ready for bed. Before you use chamomile tea to help you sleep, make sure you have no plant or pollen allergies.

Passionflower extract or tea is another herbal remedy that helps you sleep better at night. It has a relaxing and calming effect that makes you toss and turn in bed less often and gets you to fall asleep faster. As a tea, it has a slow and gradual effect and is recommended taken an hour before bed.

Apply Relaxation Techniques

You can help yourself get a good sleep without having to spend a penny by spending extra effort on meditation, yoga, tai chi, and breathing techniques. Meditation and yoga help calm your mind by clearing your thoughts and relieving the buildup of stress and tension that accumulated during the day. Tai chi promotes muscle relaxation and clarity of the mind with its gentle and deliberate movements.

Deep or abdominal breathing before sleeping also gives a general sense of relaxation. Deep breathing involves your stomach, ribcage, and lower back, allowing for better oxygen intake and carbon dioxide exhalation, which regulates calmness and relaxation. Applying deep breathing as you fall asleep helps your body shift to the sleeping mode more easily.

Apply Lifestyle Changes

By simply adjusting your daytime and bedtime activities, you can make changes to your sleeping pattern. Reducing your daytime naps to 20-30 minutes or eliminating daytime naps can help your body to sleep easier at night.

Exercising in the late afternoon or early evening promotes a body temperature drop later in the evening, which helps us to fall asleep and stay asleep. Avoid drinking alcoholic and caffeinated beverages before going to bed and drink milk instead. Turn off the TV and your mobile devices at least an hour before bed and listen to soft, soothing music and keep the lights low to promote melatonin production and get you to sleep.

Sleep troubles and sleep disorders can have scary health consequences if not remedied immediately. The good news is there are various approaches and solutions available for sleep problems. Try out changing your lifestyle or using natural remedies first before turning to supplements or medications. If your sleep troubles persist, consult your doctor to help determine and treat any underlying condition to your sleep problem. Always give yourself a good sleep and your body will thank you for it.

Hospitals have acted quickly to accommodate the influx of COVID-19 patients, but how do they keep the virus from spreading inside their buildings?

Testing the airflow and maintaining the proper pressure in rooms is crucial, yet many hospitals only routinely audit 15–20% of their facilities, and the process is an outdated one that relies on handwritten notes and Excel spreadsheets.

Austin-based Life Balance Technologies is aiming to change that.

The tech startup has developed a software that will help hospitals and other public facilities reduce the indoor spread of COVID-19 and airborne infections more effectively and affordably.

S?fAir can analyze infection control parameters from 100% of a facility and provide reports faster, more accurately, and with less cost. This software will allow hospitals to track potential risks and reduce hospital-acquired infections, Life Balance Co-Founder Steve Manz said.

“This was not a priority previously because the chance of airborne disease seemed so remote,” Manz said. “Facility-wide testing was time-consuming, costly and unmanageable. Building owners have invested billions of dollars in energy efficient systems to reduce their utility bills, but very few have invested tools to maintain the airflow standards needed for a safe environment.”

Life Balance has already integrated the software in four hospitals outside of Texas and is looking to onboard Austin-area healthcare facilities as soon as possible. The company’s Texas team is currently based in the Capital Factory in Austin.

“The feedback we’re getting is that S?fAir is unique and there’s obviously a huge need for this — so keep going” Manz said. “Hospitals want safer facilities and they need to achieve this with tighter or limited budgets. We are helping them do more with less money. Life Balance Technology is providing a solution to issues that existed before COVID-19. These issues are urgent not only for hospitals, but also to all other public facilities like assisted living, schools and offices, most of which do not test at all. More importantly, this is a solution to benefit the lives and safety of all frontline workers, patients, office workers, students and all occupants.”

Car accidents often result in physical injuries, ranging from minor wounds to life-threatening injuries. The severity of physical distress depends on factors like the speed of the vehicles, the part of the car where the impact occurred, and the efficiency of injury prevention systems like seat belts and airbags.

There are two types of injuries that could result from a road accident. These are impact injuries and penetrating injuries. Impact injuries pertain to blunt trauma caused by applied force, such as when the head hits a hard surface inside the car. On the other hand, penetrating injuries happen when the body is pierced by foreign objects, such as shards from a broken car window.

Blunt trauma often occurs internally, so it is often not detected immediately. They are also more difficult to assess compared to penetrating injuries on the extremities of the body. Below is a more thorough look at these serious injuries that can occur after road accidents.

1. Back Injury and Spinal Damage

Back pain and discomfort are especially common among victims of impact collisions. The Injured Call published a blog post to help ease muscle pain after an accident. However, what appears to be simple pain could be a warning sign of spinal cord damage, since spinal injuries usually take some time to manifest.

Spinal injuries may result in partial nerve damage in certain body parts. In extreme cases, it could end in complete paralysis. Incurring a herniated disc is considered less severe than spinal damage, but it comes with high levels of pain. Also known as slipped disc or ruptured disc, it occurs when a fragment between the vertebrae gets pushed out of its position.

2. Chest Injury

Impact on the steering wheel or seat belt can cause blunt trauma in the chest area. This can result in broken ribs, contusions, collapsed lungs, and internal bleeding. For people with heart conditions, the acute force can put them at risk of traumatic cardiac arrest. Other areas near the chest can also suffer from the impact. This includes injuries in the abdomen, pelvis, and internal organs.

3. Head Trauma And Brain Injury

The head is very vulnerable to impact, so head injuries always require immediate attention. A head-on collision between speeding vehicles can cause concussions, skull fractures, and even traumatic brain injuries. Such injuries could lead to long-term cognitive problems and in more severe situations, comatose. Other disabilities related to head injuries include loss of vision, impaired hearing, and facial deformity.

4. Broken Limbs

The legs, feet, arms, and hands usually suffer a lot from impact. Due to the limited space in the car, the limbs are the first ones to get trapped. A serious crash can lead to disfigurement, fractured bones, and even severed limbs. These injuries can turn into long-term disability that affects day-to-day life.

5. Psychological Disorder

The psychological damage of an accident is as jarring, if not worse, as the physical ones. Accident survivors can suffer from short- and long-term psychological problems, especially if the accident resulted in irreversible injuries or death. Depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are commonly observed among drivers and passengers who are involved in a serious crash.

Conclusion

These serious injuries require immediate medical intervention. And in case you witness a car accident in real-time, it’s best to not move the victims yourself since you may not be able to assess the actual physical damage that they have suffered. Call professional medical help and let the experts do it. Internal bleeding and head injuries are complicated, and they might worsen if you move the injured person in the wrong position.

It’s important to give our bodies the best care we can offer. That’s why getting proper nutrition, exercising, sleeping well, have ample time to rest, and taking care of your mental and emotional health should be your priority.

Another way to take care of your body is by taking health supplements, which could provide your body with the extra boost it needs for going through your day-to-day routines.

What Are Health Supplements?

Health supplements, also known as dietary supplements or nutritional supplements, are products that are geared to supplement your diet and lifestyle. They can be in the form of capsules, powders, liquids, or pills, and they can be manufactured from both natural and synthetic sources.

People take health supplements for a variety of reasons, but the main one is to boost their overall health and ensure that their bodies are getting the proper care. The body needs a lot of nutrients throughout the day, and health supplements may help boost its nutritional intake. That’s why companies, like Vitaliving, have a whole selection of health supplements meant to help you become the best you can be and help your body stay in tip-top shape.

Here are five of the benefits you can get by taking health supplements:

1.      Supply Your Body With Extra Nutrients

Typically, a balanced diet can help you get all the nutrients that your body needs. However, there are times that we all have difficulty eating balanced meals, which is where health supplements come in.

As mentioned above, health supplements can help supply your body with the extra nutrients it needs. They can also help your body have enough nutrients if you have a health condition that causes you to have a nutrient deficiency.

2.      Can Be Used To Prevent Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions stem from one’s lifestyle and the lack of nutrients in the body. Fortunately, some health supplements can help reduce your chances of getting such medical conditions.

For example, hypertension may be avoided by taking health supplements. A birth defect called spina bifida may also be avoided by taking folic acid.

Thus, health supplements may help reduce your chances of getting affected by certain medical conditions because of the nutrients they provide to your body.

3.      Help Improve Your Mood

Taking health supplements daily may have a positive impact on your mood. Certain nutrients, which can be found in health supplements, like folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids, may help combat depression and improve your mood.

4.      Increase Energy Levels

Alongside a proper diet and plenty of exercises, health supplements can help keep your energy levels up. Feeling lethargic can get you down in the dumps, and health supplements may provide you with the boost you need to keep your energy up.

Supplements like Ashwagandha, Vitamin D, B vitamins, Creatine, and L-theanine may help you increase your energy levels and give you the energy you need to last through the day.

5.      Boosts Your Body’s Defenses

Nowadays, it’s important to keep our immune systems strong and ready to combat any diseases. Health supplements may provide your immune system with the boost it needs to keep you healthy.

Vitamins A, C, and D have been found to improve the response of the immune system, allowing your immune system to get stronger and function properly.

Are Health Supplements Safe To Take?

Health supplement manufacturers typically ensure that all of their products are safe for consumption. That’s why they follow a set of standards to ensure optimal quality, and they’re manufactured, packaged, and labeled with care.

To ensure that the health supplement is right for you, you must research the health supplement you want to take and see what benefits it can offer you. It’s important to check reputable sources to get clear and accurate information. You can also book a trip to your doctor or local healthcare provider to help you assess the right health supplements for your body.

Takeaway

While most health supplements are beneficial for your body and are safe for consumption, they must only be taken in recommended doses. Taking large doses of certain supplements may have negative effects on your body and you may even overdose, which, in some cases, can even cause death. That’s why it’s important to find the right health supplements for you and to follow the instructions on how to take the product.

Most people think that the terms “rehabilitation” and “habilitation” are the same. It’s not even surprising if you think these two terminologies are interchangeable. While it’s true that these words refer to many forms of physical enhancement or therapy given to people with ailments or disabilities, they’re not the same. Rehabilitation and habilitation are two distinct approaches.

What Is Rehabilitation?

Before you train your sights on habilitation services, you must first define “rehabilitation” or rehab for short. The term refers to the restoration of skills and physical functioning that’s weakened or lost due to injury or disability.

A good example would be a bodybuilder who had an accident and broke his arms. Because of the accident, this person has damaged his arms’ mobility and will not be able to lift weights. It would be best for the man to consult a physical therapist and undergo rehabilitation to restore his arms’ strength and mobility.

Rehabilitation is also the best treatment course for patients who suffer after a stroke or have become disabled due to accidents and diseases.

What Is Habilitation?

Strictly speaking, habilitation is designed to help differently-abled individuals acquire, improve, and retain skills that are necessary for functioning in daily life. Habilitation services target skills and abilities that a person may not be able to develop normally. So, such skills and abilities are not yet present or developed. They’re yet to be introduced or learned by the person concerned.

Habilitation can be given to both kids and adults who have special needs. Kids who have motor skill deficiencies and adults with cognitive disabilities can benefit from this type of service. Patients who have cerebral palsy will need habilitation services to learn functional abilities like sitting and walking. People with speech and hearing impairment since birth are also given resources that include information about habilitation services.

The goal is to help challenged persons improve their adaptive and social skills so that they can normally live in their communities.

The Need To Distinguish Habilitation And Rehabilitation

Life would have been more comfortable had the terms “rehabilitation” and “habilitation” meant the same thing. After all, both are about helping people. But, believe it or not, there’s a need to distinguish these two words. Your insurance coverage is the biggest reason you need to know the difference between these terms.

Suppose you take a close look at a typical insurance plan. You’ll see the insurer’s liability will specify that they will only cover therapy for skills or abilities lost due to injury or illness. It means that if your loss of skills and abilities didn’t result from disease or injury, you don’t qualify for therapy covered by the insurance. In short, most employer insurance plans don’t typically cover habilitation services for now. Some organizations are working to have regulations put in place regarding this matter.

Common Types Of Habilitation Services

There are many types of services that habilitation providers can offer. Not all persons requiring habilitative care have the same needs. Therefore, their parents or family members should make sure that the services offered are suited to their unique needs. Here are some examples of standard habilitation services.

• In-home or Residential Habilitation

This service is well-suited for persons who require support while living in their own communities. Residential habilitation is provided right in the client’s home. Typically, this service aims to develop and improve a person’s social functioning and other skills associated with daily living.

• Supported Living Services In Provider-Controlled Environment

Clients who may exhibit challenging behaviors brought about by development disabilities or those with demanding medical and physical needs may require a more comprehensive approach in an environment controlled by the habilitation provider. This type of service is usually given to persons living outside their own homes.

• Family Support Services

These services are provided not just to the persons requiring habilitation, but also to their family members. Habilitation is done in-home or within the community to educate and train family members in caring for persons with developmental disabilities.

• Day Habilitation

This service offers flexible programs and daytime supervision for adults who need habilitation to develop their daily living and social skills. Day habilitation services focus on communication and behavioral skills to improve the person’s well-being and chances of social integration.

• Career Counselling

Some providers, such as CDS Life Transitions, offer career counseling to clients with developmental disabilities. Persons requiring habilitative services don’t necessarily mean they can’t find gainful employment. Sure, there may be challenges, but overcoming those challenges is the purpose of why habilitation is needed in the first place. Helping clients explore various career paths and boost their skills to find jobs may be the most critical step toward giving adult clients a chance to achieve a truly independent life.

Main Thrusts Of Habilitation Programs

All the different habilitation providers and consortiums have one common thrust: It’s to help patients or people with disabilities get a better shot at living independent lives. Regardless of when habilitation is introduced in a person’s life, the primary goal is to build up that person’s independence and open up opportunities to study and even to obtain employment.

Many accredited programs focus on individuals with intellectual difficulties, autism, and cerebral palsy. These are persons who are most likely to have functional disabilities. That said, habilitation can be applied to any person who didn’t have the chance to develop normal daily living skills due to physical or mental disabilities.

Providers adopt a basic approach that teaches their clients how to do some of the most foundational things in life without other people’s help. These skills include anything from brushing one’s teeth to changing one’s clothes. Some programs will even involve cooking, managing finances, and even buying personal items. Habilitation covers everything that the patients need to develop essential skills that will allow them to live their entire lives independently.

Human Rights And The Right To Choose

Habilitation is given to clients with specific disabilities. Some would argue that such disabilities prevent the patients from making their own decisions, and therefore the habilitative services provided may not be what the patients want. What if the client really doesn’t want to interact with society or even to learn how to brush his teeth? How can the providers know that they’re not infringing on their clients’ right to choose?

Right from the onset, habilitation and the right to choose aren’t contradictory. As a matter of fact, habilitative services will ultimately help the clients learn how to decide for themselves. Although it may not be evident during the early parts of the program, habilitation and the right to choose should work hand in hand to boost the clients’ participation in their own functional development. It’s vital that any habilitative program must allow the client to make choices regarding the abilities or behaviors he needs to learn.

On another note, as habilitation teaches the skills needed to go to school, work, or live independently, persons with disabilities can break down the barriers or limitations that prohibit them from enjoying the same rights as regular people. In this respect, habilitative services encourage equality and human rights.

Who Provides Habilitation Services?

Accredited providers work with habilitation specialists who, in turn, are responsible for working with clients or patients. The specialists are sometimes supported by assistants, and they use a wide array of strategies customized for the needs of children or adult clients.

Teaching functional abilities to children and adults with disabilities can be challenging. This is why habilitation specialists undergo training and certification. Qualifications can vary, depending on the duties that they will focus on.

Ideally, they’re registered and qualified habilitation specialists. Many providers would require their specialists to have relevant prior experience. First aid certification is essential because working with differently-abled persons can be prone to accidents or emergencies. Employers mainly look for specialists who have a degree in psychology, social work, and education. Apart from the degree and job skills, the right habilitation specialist should also have the patience and attitude that suit working with persons with disabilities.

They can also work with other professionals, such as schoolteachers, to ensure the patient’s seamless transition from home to school or work. Specialists can help develop a range of skills in areas like personal care, travel, and even leisure activities.

For patients with visual disabilities, habilitation specialists may also be referred to as mobility specialists, orientation and mobility teachers, or specialists for the visually impaired.

Contact a support coordinator who will connect you with habilitation providers and other specialists near you.

Conclusion

Habilitation is not the same as rehabilitation. While both are important in helping people with disabilities, habilitation is focused on assisting persons in acquiring, developing, and retaining skills and functional abilities to live a normal life. As a service, habilitation can be applied at any point in a person’s life. Both kids and adults with disabilities can benefit from this service. There are many types of habilitation service. Providers can work at the client’s home or in-house.

Habilitation specialists are certified and accredited professionals. They’re the ones who work with the clients face to face. Anyone can become a specialist, but it would be best to have a degree in fields like education, social services, or psychology. A lot of patience and the right attitude will go a long way when working with persons with special needs.

Habilitation providers are crucial in teaching differently-abled individuals how to participate in their communities. It’s essential that resources about habilitation reach the persons and their families who need such services.

Olympus Corporation  announced the launch of a new comprehensive educational platform designed to provide healthcare professionals (HCPs) all over the world with learning opportunities and training to put their skills into practice and keep them performing at their best.

The “Olympus Continuum”  platform will empower HCPs at every stage of their career with innovative, premium education and specialized training experiences. The platform builds on the existing Olympus training program, which trains more than 25,000 HCPs annually over 1,400 courses.

Chief Medical Officer, Ross D. Segan, MD, MBA, FACS, said: “Healthcare professionals work in a variety of settings and have a multitude of needs–and their expectations for training courses have evolved well past traditional skills-based learning. Our new platform connects the continuum of care with the continuum of learning. A truly blended experience, Olympus Continuum maximizes digital self-guided pre-learning, direct in-person training, and post-learning collaboration to support healthcare professional across every stage of their career and to improve patient outcome.”

HCPs using the “Olympus Continuum” platform will enjoy the following benefits:

– Comprehensive platform programs covering basic to advanced levels: The Olympus global professional education strategy is to establish a continuum of blended learning that takes HCPs from basic to advanced, providing more educational opportunities/experiences and increasing accessibility through the utilization of technology. Hands-on courses will be provided in our 15 dedicated Olympus training labs, as well as hospitals and other labs all over the world.

– Beneficial for remote areas, including emerging countries: In some emerging countries and hard-to-reach areas, it has been difficult for HCPs to receive training or enroll in educational programs because of limited course offerings and large geographical distances. “Olympus Continuum” is a globalized and comprehensive platform of training and education experiences led by healthcare experts from around the world.

– Effective platform that fits well with current conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic: There was growing demand from healthcare professionals for on-demand, digitally-enabled virtual training and this has increased further during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This new platform exactly meets this demand and provides an excellent combination of virtual and on-site training.

About Olympus Continuum

Olympus Continuum is a newly launched educational platform for healthcare professionals that will bring the benefits of digitally-enabled learning to remote regions, as well as those impacted by COVID-19. Basic and advanced training for healthcare professionals will be provided through Olympus training centers and hospitals all over the world.

About Olympus

Olympus is passionate about the solutions it creates for the medical, life sciences, and industrial equipment industries. Olympus’ Medical business uses innovative capabilities in medical technology, therapeutic intervention, and precision manufacturing to help healthcare professionals deliver diagnostic, therapeutic, and minimally invasive procedures to improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall costs, and enhance the quality of life for patients. Olympus’ Medical portfolio includes endoscopes, laparoscopes, and video imaging systems, as well as surgical energy devices, system integration solutions, medical services, and a wide range of endotherapy instruments.

Kindred Healthcare, LLC and UofL Health announced a joint venture to build and operate an inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.

This new 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital will be located at 5000 Chamberlain Lane, near the intersection of I-71 and I-265 in the northeast area of Jefferson County, and will serve the growing East End of Jefferson County and adjacent counties. The approximately 55,000-square-foot, two-story rehabilitation facility will have all private rooms and focus on acute rehabilitation for patients who suffer from stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, complex neurological disorders, orthopedic conditions, multiple trauma, amputation and other injuries or disorders. Large multidisciplinary therapy gymnasiums will be outfitted with the latest therapeutic technologies, including augmented reality balance training, therapy bionics and a full body exoskeleton. The hospital will also include a therapeutic courtyard with exterior amenities.

UofL Health – Frazier Rehab Institute is recognized nationally as an innovator in rehab care. For more than six decades, patients from across the world have sought out Frazier Rehab for life-enhancing treatments and therapies. The new facility is expected to help manage the growing needs of the region and will free up access to the array of specialty programs at its downtown location with one common goal – helping people of all ages with disabilities reach their fullest potential in physical and cognitive functioning.

“We are proud to partner with UofL Health to offer the Louisville community increased access to high-quality inpatient rehabilitation services,” said Jason Zachariah, Kindred’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Frazier Rehab has an impressive legacy, with more than 60 years in rehab care, and we are excited to work alongside them to improve patients’ lives. This new hospital will be dedicated to passionately advocating for and providing hope, healing and recovery to patients in its care.”

“This new inpatient rehabilitation hospital will combine Kindred’s national expertise in rehab excellence with Frazier Rehab’s first-in-class care and leading innovation,” said Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health. “The new hospital will increase access to our rehab services, addressing unmet needs in our growing community.”

The partners expect the hospital to open by the fourth quarter of calendar year 2022, subject to several regulatory and other approvals.

Almirall, S.A., a global biopharmaceutical company based in Barcelona, and Happify Health, a leader in digital therapeutics solutions to improve mental and physical health based in New York, will develop a version of its digital platform specifically for people with psoriasis in Spain, UK, Italy and France to be rolled out this year. It is estimated that 20-30% of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and depression¹. Happify Health, through evidence-based and clinically validated platforms, delivers mental health solutions targeted to patients with chronic diseases.

The Almirall partnership with Happify Health will focus on a solution called CLARO targeted to addressing the mental health concerns of psoriasis patients. The goal of the CLARO program is to create a solution/service to help psoriasis patients improve their well-being when living with a chronic disease providing a meaningful, dynamic and fun user experience. CLARO will be delivered through the Almirall patient support program.

This new partnership demonstrates Almirall’s commitment to deliver digital solutions to patients suffering from psoriasis. “We are so pleased to be joining Happify Health on their mission to improve the lives of patients with chronic conditions. This partnership will allow us to provide patients with psoriasis a solution based on a clinically validated positive psychology platform. We selected Happify as our partner as they have already demonstrated a positive impact on the mental health of patients with chronic conditions, including psoriasis, in published research,” said Francesca Domenech Wuttke, Chief Digital Officer at Almirall.

“Since mental health events act as stressors that can trigger psoriasis flare ups, Happify is excited to work with a European leader like Almirall in this condition to address the mental and physical health symptoms of these patients,” said Chris Wasden, Head of Digital Therapeutics at Happify Health. “Our digital therapeutic solution acts as a complement to Almirall’s commitment to psoriasis patients to empower people with psoriasis to live full lives through meaningful behavior change. Together, we can help psoriasis patients, one patient at a time, and at scale.”

About Almirall

Almirall is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health. We collaborate with scientists and healthcare professionals to address patient’s needs through science to improve their lives. Our Noble Purpose is at the core of our work: “Transform the patients’ world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life”. We invest in differentiated and groundbreaking medical dermatology products to bring our innovative solutions to patients in need.

The company, founded in 1943 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publically traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange and is a member of the IBEX 35 (ticker: ALM). Throughout its 77-year history, Almirall has retained a strong focus on the needs of patients. Currently, Almirall has a direct presence in 21 countries and strategic agreements in over 70, through 13 subsidiaries, with about 1,800 employees. Total revenues in 2019 were 908.4 million euros.

About Happify

Health Happify Health is a global healthcare platform that combines digital therapeutics and care delivery solutions to improve mental and physical health. Incorporating advanced AI, Happify Health’s effective, evidence-based connected platform uses scientific research from positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness, combined with a gamified approach and leading-edge technology, to positively impact everyday lives. Happify Health’s unique end-to-end, personalized approach emphasizes the mind-body connection and implements meaningful behavior change to address the stress, anxiety and depression that is often comorbid for people living with chronic conditions. The platform offers a multi-channel suite of products for employers, health plans, pharmaceutical companies and consumers. Available in 10 languages, Happify Health’s science-led, clinicallyvalidated platform provides access to a comprehensive intervention catalog, delivering better health outcomes by design.

Reliq Health Technologies Inc., a rapidly growing global telemedicine company that develops innovative Virtual Care solutions for the multi-billion dollar Healthcare market, announced the launch of its new multilingual Interactive Voice Recognition product, iUGO Care IVR, and a new contract with a physician practice in Maryland to use iUGO Care IVR with both their English- and Russian-speaking patients.

“We have incorporated Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) in the iUGO Care platform to support patients who are using their own, non-connected monitoring devices, have cellular or internet connectivity challenges or simply prefer an automated daily phone call in the language of their choice as a reminder to collect their vitals,” said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of Reliq Health Technologies, Inc. “The new product uses Interactive Voice Recognition to communicate with patients in any language, record patients’ self-reported readings and automatically upload the data to the iUGO Care platform, where it can be accessed by their care team. This solution is of particular interest to private insurers and employer-sponsored insurance plans who want patients to use their existing, non-connected biometric monitoring devices. Clinicians can also leverage existing Medicare reimbursement codes for Remote Patient Monitoring involving self-reported data. This is a highly scalable product that will allow us to serve a large patient population that was not previously addressed by standard Remote Patient Monitoring technology.”

The Company has signed a new contract with a physician practice in Maryland to provide Remote Patient Monitoring with Interactive Voice Recognition to a significant Russian-speaking patient population. Onboarding started in Maryland this week. The Company expects to expand the IVR product offering into additional geographies requiring a variety of different languages later this quarter.

About Reliq Health

Reliq Health Technologies is a rapidly growing global telemedicine that specializes in developing innovative Virtual Care solutions for the multi-billion dollar Healthcare market. Reliq’s powerful iUGO Care platform supports care coordination and community-based virtual healthcare. iUGO Care allows complex patients to receive high quality care at home, improving health outcomes, enhancing quality of life for patients and families and reducing the cost of care delivery. iUGO Care provides real-time access to remote patient monitoring data, allowing for timely interventions by the care team to prevent costly hospital readmissions and ER visits. Reliq Health Technologies trades on the TSX Venture under the symbol RHT, on the OTC as RQHTF and on the WKN as A2AJTB.