Kaiser Permanente adult members in Southern California now have no-cost access to Ginger, a leading on-demand mental health care solutions provider.
Ginger, which became available to eligible Kaiser Permanente members on Oct. 4, provides unlimited confidential, emotional support through on-demand coaching via text-based chats and skills-building content. Adult members can now use their smartphone to connect with a skilled emotional support coach 24/7 – at no cost and with no referral or appointment. The private, one-on-one texting sessions support coping with common challenges such as managing stress or getting better sleep.
“Kaiser Permanente is committed to making sure our eligible members in Southern California have access to the mental health care they need, when and where they need it,” said Dr. Ashley Zucker, a psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente Southern California, which is based in Pasadena. “This new offering puts immediate self-care options at many of our members’ fingertips to help them find support for concerns that may not require a clinician. With the addition of Ginger to Kaiser Permanente’s portfolio of world-class mental health apps that includes Calm and myStrength, our members now have more options than ever to receive immediate and personalized support for many of life’s challenges and stressors.”
Kaiser Permanente adult members can text with a coach using the Ginger app as many times as they would like for 90 days per year, starting at the time when the account is activated. After 90 days, members can continue to access the other services available on the Ginger app for the remainder of the year at no cost.
Eligible Kaiser Permanente Southern California members can access the Ginger app by going to kp.org/coachingapps/scal and clicking on the “Get Ginger” button found on the page. Members will be prompted to sign on using their kp.org user ID and password and then will be taken to Ginger, where they can complete their registration and begin accessing coaching and additional resources.
Rodney Yeargans, 69, a Kaiser Permanente member who lives in Los Angeles, said Ginger has been a very beneficial tool to him that has helped improve his mental health.
“It’s been very useful to me in dealing with my depression and my anxiety,” he said. “It’s like talking to a therapist, but through texting and you get advice that helps you avoid situations that may make you anxious and depressed. Chatting with a live person is very useful and convenient. I highly recommend it.”
Emotional support coaching can provide members with on-demand support and may be able to reduce symptoms to prevent more serious health conditions from developing. With the Ginger app, Kaiser Permanente adult members now can:
- Text with a coach anytime, anywhere, 24/7 for 90 days.
- Discuss goals, share challenges, and create an action plan with their coach.
- Get personalized, interactive skill-building tools from a library of more than 200 clinically validated activities and resources.
- View recaps from each texting session, track their progress and work with their coach to adjust action plans as needed.
“As our global mental health crisis continues to intensify, innovative health plans like Kaiser Permanente Southern California are smartly leveraging digital offerings that provide in-the-moment support, with a focus on prevention,” said Katie DiPerna, vice president and head of partnerships, Headspace Health, Ginger’s parent company. “We’re proud to provide Kaiser Permanente eligible members in Southern California with 24/7, on-demand access to Ginger’s team of behavioral health coaches for support with all of life’s challenges, whenever and wherever they need it.”
Kaiser Permanente offers a range of mental health and wellness resources on kp.org that are accessible to everyone. These resources include articles, videos, and exercises, now also available in Spanish.
