Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT) has partnered with Valera Health, a tele-behavioral health service that provides comprehensive care for kids and adults with mild to severe mental illness, on a new initiative to raise awareness for May Mental Health Awareness Month. As a result of the pandemic, mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse rates have increased across all age groups. In an effort to raise awareness during the month of May, Valera Health and Lyft Media will be launching a "reasons to care" campaign on Lyft's rooftop advertising network (Halo) across New York and Los Angeles. Eligible Valera Health patients will also be given access to Lyft discount codes to help ease the financial burden of traveling to and from medical appointments, as well as for performing necessary daily tasks.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Valera Health, a leading provider of virtual mental health care, to raise awareness around mental health and support our communities," said Faizan Bhatty, Head of Revenue & Partnerships at Lyft Media.

Today, nearly one in five Americans are affected by mental illness¹. The need for behavioral health services has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic, putting additional strain on the mental health sector. As a result, certified mental health services have grown in adoption across the healthcare landscape.

"With millions of Americans living with mental health challenges, it is crucial to support patients and their families during their mental health care journeys," said Valera Health CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Thomas Tsang. "Caring for patients across all levels of mental health acuity, including serious mental illness, we understand how patients need a bit more help during challenging times to get to appointments. We are proud to launch this initiative together with Lyft and to continue providing the highest level of care and support for our patients."

Valera Health provides affordable and convenient access to licensed therapists, nurse practitioners and psychiatrists. The company currently covers over 34 million lives through partnerships with more than 20 health plans across seven states, treating patients aged 6-99.  The multilingual provider network offers service in 13 languages. Valera saw 900% growth in clinical visits over the last twelve months.  

About Valera Health

Valera Health is a high performing mental health company providing comprehensive longitudinal service using a team-based care model of coaches, therapists and medication prescribers augmented by proprietary digital technology and analytics. From meditation to therapy to medications, patients with mild depression to severe schizophrenia are treated with expert care. A focus on quality has achieved high HEDIS scores and produced significant outcomes. For more information go to: www.valerahealth.com.

Follow Valera on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Lyft

Lyft was founded in 2012 and is one of the largest transportation networks in the United States and Canada. As the world shifts to transportation-as-a-service, Lyft is at the forefront of this massive societal change. Its transportation network includes the largest shared mobility network in the United States and brings together rideshare, bikes, scooters, car rentals and transit all in one app. Lyft is singularly driven by its mission: to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation.

Media Relations Contact:  

Mordy Derovan 
Finn Partners 
929-588-2012 
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¹ https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness