SilverCloud Health And King’s College London Awarded Grant To Integrate Behavioral Health Into The Treatment of Chronic Disease

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 14, 2014

SilverCloud Health, a global provider of online behavioral health and mental wellness solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) development grant to extend its Behavioral Health-focused online platform to include chronic care support for the self-management of symptoms and wellbeing of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This project will combine SilverCloud’s media-rich web platform with evidence-based, CVD-specific content developed in conjunction with the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, King’s College London. The resulting program seeks to develop an evidence-based approach to online support for patients diagnosed with CVD that acknowledges and infuses the mental and behavioral aspects of managing the disease, which may improve health outcomes and lower overall costs to the health system.

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 83 million Americans live with one or more forms of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, cardiovascular disease is believed to have a total negative economic impact on the US economy of nearly $315 billion every year.

SilverCloud’s Derek Richards, PhD, Director of Clinical Research and Innovation, and Aislinn Enright, UK Director will join the team from King’s College London, led by Dr Elizabeth Barley and comprising Professor Ian Norman, Professor Jackie Stuart, and Dr Geraldine Lee, to develop the clinical program. The team will develop clinical content, carry out feasibility and usability testing, design future research to examine the intervention’s health economic impact, and oversee use of the program by patients and clinicians across the National Health Service in support of stepped care.

“CVD is responsible for premature death, impaired quality of life and disproportionate use of health services. Self-management is the core of effective treatment for CVD, but can be compromised in the presence of comorbid depression and anxiety. Improved management within the community is needed,” said Dr Elizabeth Barley.

“Online-delivered interventions are a low-cost and non-stigmatizing way of delivering therapy and self-management support and are easy to access. However, current online psychological care packages do not address the CVD symptoms and risk factors that are related to poor outcome.”

“The SilverCloud platform promotes engagement by allowing clients to share content and seek personalized guidance from a trained online supporter. The content that King’s College London will provide will focus on managing key symptoms and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, as well as delivering Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for psychological distress,” explains Dr Barley.

Mark Wallin, Senior Vice President, SilverCloud Health said, “SilverCloud Health is proud to have been selected for this important project, and honored to collaborate with such a prestigious University. The physical, behavioral and financial burdens associated with cardiovascular disease in the United States remain staggering, and are addressed largely independently in clinical practice. The collaboration with King’s College London combines their clinical CVD expertise with SilverCloud’s behavioral health focus to create innovative and engaging online strategies that inspire patient empowerment to more effectively promote healthier lifestyles that may lead to better outcomes and lower overall costs.”

The SBRI Healthcare is an NHS England initiative, championed by the newly formed Academic Health Science Networks, who aim to promote UK economic growth while addressing unmet health needs and enhancing the clinical adoption of known best practices.

For further information about SilverCloud Health behavioral and mental wellness online solutions, please visit: http://www.silvercloudhealth.com

This work was commissioned and funded by NHS England. The views expressed in the press release are those of the author(s) and not necessarily that of the funding partners.
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SilverCloud Health is a leading provider of online therapeutic solutions to support and promote positive behavior change and mental wellness. Our aim is to meet the key market need to increase reach and reduce cost in behavioral and mental healthcare. Core areas addressed are; prevention, recovery and relapse in mild to moderate conditions. SilverCloud’s solution includes a robust platform that uniquely offers a ‘Blended Approach’ of online programs that integrate a human supporter/facilitator. From initial self-assessment, it is highly interactive, personalized and includes social and motivational tools to drive user engagement. Built on one of the industry’s strongest clinical evidence bases, SilverCloud solutions meet the stringent requirements of clinicians as well as providing the analytics and reporting to meet the requirements of the current value-based outcomes model being adopted by the mental healthcare sector. For more information on SilverCloud Health visit: http://www.silvercloudhealth.com

The Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) is part of Innovation Health and Wealth, which challenges small to medium sized companies to engage in research and innovation. Unlike many R&D projects, which offer grant or match funding, SBRI contracts are 100 percent funded and the awarded company retains the Intellectual Property rights.
For further information about the SBRI Healthcare program, please visit: http://www.sbrihealthcare.co.uk

The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery at King’s College London is the world’s first professional School of Nursing, established by Florence Nightingale.

The number one Nursing and Midwifery School in London (Complete University Guide 2014) and highly regarded by leading London NHS Trusts with links to industry, health services and policy makers, the School develops leading-edge nurses and midwives of tomorrow – practitioners, partners, and leaders in their field.

The School has over 1,000 full-time students training to be nurses and midwives plus an extensive portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate activities to meet the needs of a wide range of healthcare professionals seeking continuing professional development. The School is at the forefront of health services, policy and evaluation research and home to the influential National Nursing Research Unit (NNRU). For further information visit: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/nursing.

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world (2013/14 QS World University Rankings) and the fourth oldest in England. It is The Sunday Times 'Best University for Graduate Employment 2012/13'. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has more than 25,000 students (of whom more than 10,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and more than 6,500 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment program which is transforming its estate. http://www.kcl.ac.uk

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £554 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: http://www.kingshealthpartners.org.

The College is in the midst of a five-year, £500 million fundraising campaign – World questions|King’s answers – created to address some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity as quickly as feasible. The campaign’s five priority areas are neuroscience and mental health, leadership and society, cancer, global power and children's health. More information about the campaign is available at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.

For press information, please contact:    
manxworx marketing, on behalf of SilverCloud Health.        
Alex Burgess
Tel: 202-888-1779
Alex(at)manxworx(dot)com

For more information, please contact:
info(at)silvercloudhealth(dot)com

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