“ That ' s a huge number , which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 situation and the lockdowns ,” he adds . “ So , the core mission is to get our care services available to as many people in the world as quickly as possible , so that we can build a happier , healthier world .”
By making services available to more people , organisations such as Headspace Health are helping dispel stigmas associated with mental health . Figures by the National Attitudes to Mental Illness Survey show that people ’ s willingness to have contact with someone with a mental health problem has improved by 11 % since 2009 , while attitudes towards people with mental health problems improved by 9.6 % in the same period .
“ The fact that we ' ve been able to contribute a little bit towards removing the stigma or taboo associated with mental healthcare , by bringing this very accessible platform and the service that we have , is a proud moment for me ,” explains Thapliyal . “ We ' ve been able to actually move the needle in the last several years , and a whole team has been part of that , the founding team of the company , the executive leadership team and everybody else in the company who has joined the company with this mission in mind .”
The importance of cybersecurity and data privacy While cybersecurity is important for every company in the world today , it is even more important in the healthcare industry . Technology has transformed modern healthcare but bad actors mean that there are unique risks when it comes to virtual mental health services .
“ Healthcare is one of those industries where cybersecurity and data security are extremely important ,” comments Thapliyal .
“ We are seeing an uptick in malicious activity in the healthcare industry . For example , the healthcare industry is being targeted by ransomware more than any other industry .
“ On top of that , we are a single-purpose mental healthcare service provider , and in many of the regulations , including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA ) in the US , mental healthcare data is called out separately , from a security and privacy standpoint .
“ We are highly aware of that , and we feel like that ' s a huge responsibility ,” he explains .
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