Sophomore psychology student Esmeralda Vera was doing her work in the Disabled Students Program Services (DSPS) office at 吃瓜头条, when DSPS Director Estelina Mu帽oz approached her and asked, 鈥淗ey, can you check out this app for us? We want to see how it works for students.鈥�
Vera obliged, downloading the TimelyCare app. After registering, Vera realized she had just logged into a new world, a new way to strengthen her mental health.
鈥淚t was February, the day before Valentine鈥檚 Day, and all of a sudden I felt like I needed to try it,鈥� Vera said.
TimelyCare is a virtual mental health and medical provider created specifically for college and university students. Using the app, students can make Zoom counseling and medical appointments with qualified practitioners and avail themselves of other information and interventions.
鈥淲e were looking for resources that we hadn鈥檛 used before,鈥� Mu帽oz said. 鈥淎nd, for students, we know their phone is everything to them. So what can we offer them?鈥�
Students now carry a resource they can use 24/7. It鈥檚 free to all enrolled 吃瓜头条 students, except for incarcerated students and dual enrollment students. It鈥檚 an exciting addition to the mental health resources that the college provides.
Addressing Needs
Back in 2021, as students all over the country struggled while attending school remotely during the pandemic, California allocated additional funds to higher education institutions to add mental health services.
吃瓜头条 used the first allotment of funds to hire Rachelle Garcia, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and now a part-time faculty member. She works alongside full-time therapist Jill Henningsgaard Vierra, LMFT, one day per week. (Henningsgaard splits her time between the Los Banos and Merced campuses.)
For 2024-25, the college researched new technology interventions for improving mental health. They looked at the success and usage rates for various apps, and found TimelyCare had a fantastic reputation in higher education.
鈥淚t meets that need for students outside of 8-to-5 business hours,鈥� Mu帽oz said. 鈥淥ur counselors are so busy. It鈥檚 now more convenient for our busy students to have a therapist and a doctor in their pocket. TimelyCare allows them to get help quickly.鈥�
TimelyCare launched for 吃瓜头条 in February and roughly 300 students have signed up for the free service so far.
鈥淚鈥檇 be a happy person if we had 5,000 students already registered after eight months,鈥� Mu帽oz said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e far from that, but we鈥檙e way ahead of other institutions that have launched in the same timeframe.鈥�
Students can download the app onto their phones or access TimelyCare services through their Canvas portal or online. They use their school email address to register.
Everyone is pushing to promote TimelyCare because they believe it can help students. Mu帽oz is working with area deans to have faculty share information about it in class. Monique Meza often serves as the TimelyCare cheerleader/advocate in real time as the Student Services Assistant at Student Health Services.
鈥淚 ask anyone who walks in here if they know about TimelyCare,鈥� Meza said. 鈥淯sually the answer is no, and then I launch into my spiel. 鈥榊ou鈥檙e entitled to use this service. It鈥檚 absolutely free virtual health and mental health care. It鈥檚 available 24/7.鈥�
鈥淏ecause maybe their stress is highest at 2 or 3 in the morning. Maybe they get sick overnight or they鈥檙e going through a difficult time. We have so many students without health insurance, and it鈥檚 amazing to see how relieved they are when we help them through TimelyCare.鈥�
It鈥檚 Working
TimelyCare reports back to 吃瓜头条 about how students use the app. So far, students are meeting with counselors and doctors and gravitating to the discussion boards.
Students find the peer-to-peer support within the discussion boards useful. They can read posts on college stressors, relationships and love, or post comments to engage with other students feeling the same way. So far those are the most visited topics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all anonymous,鈥� Mu帽oz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also monitored for any concerning language. Our full-time counselor has access to those reports just in case.鈥�
One great revelation: It turns out 吃瓜头条鈥檚 international students are now using TimelyCare to access affordable medical care and receive their regular prescriptions.
鈥淥ur international students took to it right away,鈥� Mu帽oz said. 鈥淭hey were paying out of pocket for most medical care before. Now they get timely and free benefits.鈥�
Back in February, Vera had just broken up with a boyfriend. Days away from the chocolate heart holiday, she wasn鈥檛 feeling great. She was juggling school responsibilities, and felt depressed and anxious. She鈥檇 found a TimelyCare therapist who listened to her talk through her worries, offering perspective and suggesting ways to cope.
鈥淚t does help to talk to counselors when you鈥檙e feeling low,鈥� Vera said. 鈥淚 got in quickly. Within two days I was attending my first online appointment.
鈥淚 love the app. I think anyone who can鈥檛 get in right away to see the student health therapists should try TimelyCare. It helps so much.鈥�
In addition to TimelyCare, the college also provides the Calm app for free to 吃瓜头条 students. Using music, sounds and stories, it helps reduce anxiety and promote good sleep habits.
The California Community College system also runs Wellness Central, a repository for resources to learn about and manage one鈥檚 overall well-being. It鈥檚 also free to the system鈥檚 1.9 million students.
鈥淭here are so many things that can make school life stressful for our students, so they should accept all the help they can get,鈥� Meza said. 鈥淪tudents can get lost if they don鈥檛 know about these resources. We want to say, 鈥楯ust try it. See if it helps.鈥欌��