The U.S. insisted that new international guidelines on combating drug resistance omit any mention of fungicides — a demand that the industry made but that ran counter to science.
The emails, from a pesticide industry lobbyist to employees at the Department of Agriculture, expressed alarm over proposed guidelines issued by a United Nations task force working to combat the rise of drug-resistant infections that kill thousands each year.
Ray S. McAllister, a policy official at the trade association CropLife America, urged U.S. agriculture officials to fight any effort to include the words “crops” or “fungicides” in the guidelines — a position that would run counter to growing international consensus that the overuse of antifungal compounds is a threat to human health by contributing to drug resistance and should be monitored.
“I want to make certain I am correct in assuming that this document and associated comments do not address fungicide use,” he wrote to an agency veterinary scientist, who warned that such a position would leave the United States isolated.
Mr. McAllister got what he wanted.
When the Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance met in South Korea several months later, the American delegation insisted that the guidelines omit any references to fungicides, a stance that infuriated other participants and forced a monthslong delay in the task force’s work.The emails, which were written in 2018 and obtained through a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, offer a behind-the-curtain peek at how the powerful pesticide industry influences policy decisions that can affect billions of people across the globe.
In a statement, the U.S.D.A. said the email exchanges were simply part of the agency’s process for crafting its official position. “It is the normal course of business for U.S.D.A. to solicit input from industry when developing a technical document in order to understand current practice in the United States,” the agency wrote.Business interests have long had an outsize influence on the U.S. delegations that negotiate international food safety standards, but public-health and food-safety advocates say the Trump administration has vastly expanded access for industry lobbyists who are determined to thwart regulations and guidelines that might affect their bottom line.
“From everything we’ve seen, it’s clear that this administration believes rolling back regulations and protecting industry profits is more important than protecting public health,” said Nathan Donley, senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed a lawsuit against the U.S.D.A. after the agency rebuffed requests to release the emails under the Freedom of Information Act.
“But what these emails show is that the Department of Agriculture isn’t just soliciting their input,” Mr. Donley said. “They’re seeking their approval on what the government’s position should be.”
Editors’ Picks
This Is the Casual Racism That I Face at My Elite High School
‘The Comey Rule’: Why Watching Jeff Daniels Ruined James Comey’s Day
College Football’s Worst Fear in the Pandemic: The Death of a Player
Continue reading the main story
Several food-safety and health advocates who have been participating in the antimicrobial task force over the past four years said the agency had never directly solicited their input, nor given them the chance to modify the government’s official position. They also noted that Washington’s efforts to keep antifungal drugs out of the task force’s documents stand in contrast to federal policies aimed at monitoring the potential impacts those drugs have on human health.
“What the U.S. essentially wants is weak international standards because that makes it easier for American companies to export these pesticides,” said Steven Roach, a senior analyst for Keep Antibiotics Working, a coalition of consumer and environmental groups seeking to combat the inappropriate use of antimicrobial drugs in the food supply. “It’s bad for the world, but it’s bad for the U.S. because so much of our food comes from overseas.”
In its statement, the agriculture department said, “The United States supports improved AMR monitoring and surveillance programs both in the United States and in other countries, consistent with public health priorities.”
Health officials in the United States have long acknowledged the dangers of overusing antimicrobials in agriculture. At least 80 percent of all medically important antibiotics sold in the United States end up in pig feed or sprayed on orange groves, and scientists worry that the prodigious use of such drugs can encourage dangerous pathogens to mutate and survive. Drug-resistant infections kill more than 35,000 Americans each year and sicken nearly three million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Infection. With few new medicines in the pipeline, the United Nations says resistant infections could claim 10 million lives a year globally by 2050, exceeding deaths from cancer.
Although the research on agricultural fungicides is less extensive than the study of antibiotics, scientists say the same dynamic is already playing out with the antifungal compounds that are sprayed on vegetables and flowers. Researchers believe the surge in a drug-resistant lung infection called aspergillosis is associated with the pesticides, and many suspect they are behind the rise of Candida auris, a deadly fungal infection.
President Trump has made his disdain for environmental and food-safety regulations a key part of his administration. He has reversed or revoked more than 70 rules on clean air, water and toxic chemicals, and set in motion Washington’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Other actions have received less public notice, including a decision to change the way the United States participates in the Codex Alimentarius Commission, or Codex, a joint project of the W.H.O. and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization that sets food-safety and quality standards critical for resolving trade disputes.The U.S. Codex office had long been run by the public health arm of U.S.D.A., but in 2017, the administration shifted it to a newly created trade division overseen by Ted McKinney, a former executive at Elanco, a veterinary pharmaceutical company that sells antibiotics for livestock.
The move prompted concern from the Food and Drug Administration and angered former U.S.D.A. officials who said it threatened to erode Washington’s standing as a global leader on issues of food safety.
“The optics, of course, were horrible,” said Brian Ronholm, a former under secretary for food safety at U.S.D.A. who was closely involved with the Codex process.
Lisa Lefferts, a senior scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest who has been closely following the antimicrobial task force proceedings, said the emails between pesticide executives and agency staff members helped explain why so many positions embraced by the United States in recent years have so closely resembled those advanced by industry.
“The comments and edits were nearly identical,” she said. “I find it distressing that the U.S. is pushing the industry’s positions on matters of public health.”
The emails suggest that agency officials were eager for industry input. In one exchange, a U.S.D.A. official emailed CropLife America to get its approval for new language that pushed back on recommendations from the task force calling for the monitoring of antimicrobials used on plants. “I also wanted to be sure you saw the new proposed text insertion from the US on page 8 regarding crops and are ok with it,” the official wrote.
Mr. McAllister, the CropLife official replied, “I’m copying here my grower and registrant colleagues.”
In a statement, Chris Novak, the president of CropLife America, said the association “joined other organizations and countries to provide feedback highlighting the importance of Codex focusing on medically-relevant antimicrobials.”
When industry officials failed in their effort to have any mention of crops removed from the document, they sought to limit what one executive described in an email as “radical international forces” that were seeking to upend the U.S. regulatory approach to fungicides.
In a subsequent email, James R. Cranney, Jr., president of the California Citrus Quality Council, acknowledged defeat but offered up another strategy: “We should try to have as much influence as we can in the Codex process without calling too much attention to the horticultural sector.”
Mr. Cranney did not respond to an email requesting comment.
In the end, the United States submitted language opposing the surveillance of antimicrobials, citing what it called a lack of data. Despite widespread opposition from other delegates, U.S. officials persisted, and the outcome was something of a draw.
The draft guidance included recommendations for monitoring antimicrobial resistance in crops and the environment but the definition of “antimicrobial agent” omitted any mention of antifungal drugs.
The final guidelines are scheduled for release early next year.
Summary
Background
To date, research on the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of the population and the health-care system is scarce. We aimed to investigate the indirect effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on general practice health-care usage, and the subsequent diagnoses of common physical and mental health conditions in a deprived UK population.
Methods
We did a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected primary care data that was recorded in the Salford Integrated Record between Jan 1, 2010, and May 31, 2020. We extracted the weekly number of clinical codes entered into patient records overall, and for six high-level categories: symptoms and observations, diagnoses, prescriptions, operations and procedures, laboratory tests, and other diagnostic procedures. Negative binomial regression models were applied to monthly counts of first diagnoses of common conditions (common mental health problems, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer), and corresponding first prescriptions of medications indicative of these conditions. We used these models to predict the expected numbers of first diagnoses and first prescriptions between March 1 and May 31, 2020, which were then compared with the observed numbers for the same time period.
Findings
Between March 1 and May 31, 2020, 1073 first diagnoses of common mental health problems were reported compared with 2147 expected cases (95% CI 1821 to 2489) based on preceding years, representing a 50·0% reduction (95% CI 41·1 to 56·9). Compared with expected numbers, 456 fewer diagnoses of circulatory system diseases (43·3% reduction, 95% CI 29·6 to 53·5), and 135 fewer type 2 diabetes diagnoses (49·0% reduction, 23·8 to 63·1) were observed. The number of first prescriptions of associated medications was also lower than expected for the same time period. However, the gap between observed and expected cancer diagnoses (31 fewer; 16·0% reduction, −18·1 to 36·6) during this time period was not statistically significant.
Interpretation
In this deprived urban population, diagnoses of common conditions decreased substantially between March and May 2020, suggesting a large number of patients have undiagnosed conditions. A rebound in future workload could be imminent as COVID-19 restrictions ease and patients with undiagnosed conditions or delayed diagnosis present to primary and secondary health-care services. Such services should prioritise the diagnosis and treatment of these patients to mitigate potential indirect harms to protect public health.
Funding
National Institute of Health Research.
• View related content for this article
Introduction
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have imposed stringent restrictions on the movement and interaction of populations; commonly known as lockdown. In the UK, the earliest case of COVID-19 was confirmed on Feb 21, 2020,1 and the first death associated with COVID-19 occurred on March 5, 2020.2 On March 16, 2020, the UK Government suggested that non-essential travel should be avoided and on March 20, 2020, sites such as restaurants and gyms were closed. A nationwide lockdown was implemented on March 23, 2020, which required people to stay at home, leaving only for limited purposes (one form of exercise per day, shopping for necessities, any medical need, essential work).
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health emergency is likely to have affected patients and the health service with regard to non-COVID conditions. People might have been unwilling to attend a health-care facility because of concerns about catching COVID-19, or due to the misconception that the National Health Service (NHS) was only available for patients with COVID-19. Emergency department attendance declined by 25% in the week after lockdown was implemented,3 and data from the Royal College of General Practitioners surveillance system4 has shown that weekly reported incidence of asthma, intestinal infectious diseases, upper respiratory tract infections, and acute respiratory tract infections was markedly reduced. Substantial reductions in hospital admissions for suspected heart attacks5 and strokes,6 and urgent general practitioner (GP) referrals for cancer7, 8 have also been reported.
Research in context
Evidence before this study
We searched PubMed from database inception to June 18, 2020, for articles published in English, with titles that included the search terms (“covid*” or “coronavirus” or “sars-cov-2”), and title or abstracts that included the search terms (“indirect impact” or “missed diagnos*” or “missing diagnos*” or “delayed diagnos*” or ((“present*” or “consult*” or “engag*” or “access*”) AND (“reduction” or “decrease” or “decline”)). Emerging evidence suggests that many patients have not engaged with health-care services during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This reduction has led to decreases in the number of patients presenting with some acute conditions, such as myocardial infarctions and strokes, and a reduction in the number of diagnoses of some chronic conditions, such as asthma and cancer. However, the full extent of potential missed diagnoses has not yet been quantified.
Added value of this study
To our knowledge, this is the first population-based study to assess and quantify the indirect impact of the COVID-19 emergency on potential missed diagnoses in primary care. In this study, we used the electronic health records for a socioeconomically deprived urban population of approximately a quarter of a million people, to investigate the indirect impact of COVID-19 on UK primary care. We have shown that, for many common conditions, a significant reduction in the incidence of initial diagnoses has been observed since the start of the pandemic. These reductions are likely to represent a substantial increase in missed diagnoses. We corroborated the results by investigating the first prescriptions of medications highly predictive of a new diagnosis of the conditions we assessed.
Implications of all the available evidence
Primary and secondary health-care services, and specialist mental health services and counselling services, should prepare for an increase in demand once the initial acute phase of the pandemic recedes, and take steps to prioritise patients with delayed diagnoses. Further research should focus on the impact of missed diagnoses in terms of excess morbidity and mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for worse outcomes among patients with delayed diagnoses.
Other factors might have affected primary health-care attendance and hospital admissions. The widespread shift in UK primary care to remote consultations might have affected how clinicians do consultations, and patients without the ability to participate in video consultations (ie, those with no access to a smartphone, computer, or the internet) might not have received any care. The NHS postponed most elective operations in March, 2020, and diagnostic capacity might have been reduced with laboratories focusing on COVID-19 tests. Thus, it is important to quantify the extent of the indirect impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of non-COVID conditions, particularly conditions with relatively high prevalence, because they represent a major burden on general practices and the community, and conditions of sufficient severity that missed or delayed diagnoses could potentially have a clinically significant effect on an individual's long-term health and mortality risk.
Salford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester (UK) with a population of approximately 250 000 people. Of 317 areas in England, Salford is the eighteenth most deprived,9 with the twentieth highest level of age-standardised mortality.10 Between March 1 and May 31, 2020, Salford had the fourth highest age-standardised all-cause mortality rate in England and Wales and the third highest age-standardised COVID-19 mortality rate outside of London.11
The full extent of potential missed diagnoses due to the COVID-19 emergency has not yet been quantified. The aim of our study was to investigate the indirect impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency on general practice health-care usage, and to assess whether this has led to a reduction in diagnoses, and therefore potentially missed or delayed diagnoses, of common physical and mental health conditions in this deprived urban population.
Methods
Study design and data sources
We did a retrospective cohort study, using anonymised electronic health records obtained from the Salford Integrated Record database between Jan 1, 2010, and May 31, 2020. The database includes primary care data collected from 47 general practices in Salford and is automatically updated nightly.12 The Salford Integrated Record governance board granted approval for the proposal and all patient data was de-identified, thus the need for ethical approval and patient consent was waived.
Procedures
To determine the potential impact of the COVID-19 emergency on missed diagnoses, we used the number of first diagnoses for four disease groups: common mental health problems, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer (table 1). First diagnosis was used to avoid scenarios in which diagnosis codes were re-entered during clinical reviews, indicating that the same diagnosis has been made more than once, when only a single episode had occurred.
Letter from the Editor: Health and the 2020 US election
Both health and healthcare will play vital roles in deciding the outcome of the forthcoming United States presidential election — even if, at first glance, the latest numbers don’t appear to support that claim.
Both health and healthcare will play vital roles in deciding the outcome of the forthcoming United States presidential election — even if, at first glance, the latest numbers don’t appear to support that claim.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) health tracking poll from February, 26% of registered voters said that healthcare was the single most important issue when deciding their vote for president.
Fast-forward 8 months, and the same KFF poll for September shows that nearly a third of the electorate now have the economy as the key deciding factor (32%). Healthcare has dropped to fifth place, with just 10%.
Look a little deeper, though, and issues pertaining to health pervade almost every key factor influencing voter turnout in 2020.
How could they not? After all, this is the year of the coronavirus pandemic — a singular global health crisis that has contributed directly to the sharpest contraction in the U.S. economy since records began in 1947.
Small wonder, then, that the virus ranks second in September’s poll as a key deciding factor, with 20%.
Managing the COVID-19 infodemic: Promoting healthy behaviours and mitigating the harm from misinformation and disinformation
Joint statement by WHO, UN, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNAIDS, ITU, UN Global Pulse, and IFRC
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the first pandemic in history in which technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to keep people safe, informed, productive and connected. At the same time, the technology we rely on to keep connected and informed is enabling and amplifying an infodemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the pandemic.
An infodemic is an overabundance of information, both online and offline. It includes deliberate attempts to disseminate wrong information to undermine the public health response and advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals. Mis- and disinformation can be harmful to people’s physical and mental health; increase stigmatization; threaten precious health gains; and lead to poor observance of public health measures, thus reducing their effectiveness and endangering countries’ ability to stop the pandemic.
Misinformation costs lives. Without the appropriate trust and correct information, diagnostic tests go unused, immunization campaigns (or campaigns to promote effective vaccines) will not meet their targets, and the virus will continue to thrive.
Furthermore, disinformation is polarizing public debate on topics related to COVID-19; amplifying hate speech; heightening the risk of conflict, violence and human rights violations; and threatening long-terms prospects for advancing democracy, human rights and social cohesion.
In this context, the UN Secretary- General launched the United Nations Communications Response initiative to combat the spread of mis- and disinformation in April 2020. The UN also issued a Guidance Note on Addressing and Countering COVID-19 related Hate Speech (11 May 2020).
At the World Health Assembly in May 2020, WHO Member States passed Resolution WHA73.1 on the COVID-19 response. The Resolution recognizes that managing the infodemic is a critical part of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: it calls on Member States to provide reliable COVID-19 content, take measures to counter mis- and disinformation and leverage digital technologies across the response. The Resolution also calls on international organizations to address mis- and disinformation in the digital sphere, work to prevent harmful cyber activities undermining the health response and support the provision of science-based data to the public.
The UN system and civil society organizations are using their collective expertise and knowledge to respond to the infodemic. At the same time, as the pandemic continues to create uncertainty and anxiety, there is an urgent need for stronger action to manage the infodemic, and for a coordinated approach among states, multi-lateral organizations, civil society and all other actors who have a clear role and responsibility in combatting mis- and disinformation.
We call on Member States to develop and implement action plans to manage the infodemic by promoting the timely dissemination of accurate information, based on science and evidence, to all communities, and in particular high-risk groups; and preventing the spread, and combating, mis- and disinformation while respecting freedom of expression.
We urge Member States to engage and listen to their communities as they develop their national action plans, and to empower communities to develop solutions and resilience against mis- and disinformation.
We further call on all other stakeholders - including the media and social media platforms through which mis- and disinformation are disseminated, researchers and technologists who can design and build effective strategies and tools to respond to the infodemic, civil society leaders and influencers - to collaborate with the UN system, with Member States and with each other, and to further strengthen their actions to disseminate accurate information and prevent the spread of mis- and disinformation.
Proven health care provider and administrator will lead Cougar Health Services
Following a national search, Joel Schwartzkopf has been named executive director of Cougar Health Services (CHS) at WSU Pullman. He begins his position on Oct. 12.
Schwartzkopf most recently served as interim associate executive director of Colorado State University’s Health Network. He has worked in college health and wellness for the past five years, serving as the immediate past president of the Rocky Mountain College Health Association and co-chairs the American College Health Association’s Leadership Institute.
Schwartzkopf has been a licensed physician’s assistant (PA) since 2006 and has practiced in urgent care and ER medicine. Prior to becoming a PA, he worked as a paramedic, firefighter, and served as a medical officer in the Army National Guard.
Ellen Taylor, associate vice president for student engagement in the Division of Student Affairs, said she is excited that he brings experience both as a provider and as an administrator.
“Accessible and quality healthcare is a critical part of the student experience,” Taylor said. “I am excited about Joel’s passion for working closely with students and his deep commitment to ensuring they receive the best health care possible.”
Schwartzkopf said he is a firm believer of WSU’s land-grant mission and its commitment to access, diversity, and inclusion. As a result of COVID-19, he said the importance of having an integrated approach to campus health and wellness is more evident than ever before.
“Cougar Health Services will play a vital role in ensuring our students remain healthy and successful, not just throughout this pandemic, but as we recover and continue our drive to become one of the nation’s premier public research universities,” he said. “I’m honored to be a part of this team.”
The executive director position oversees a wide array of health services including student-oriented primary medical care, mental health and counseling services, vision services, pharmacy services, health promotion and educational outreach, and campus-based community health services. Cougar Health Services serves approximately 20,000 students on the Pullman campus.
Among its responsibilities is providing a vision for CHS that promotes holistic health for all students, further operationalizing the integration of services, adapting CHS’s financial infrastructure to support healthcare delivery and sustainable growth, serving as a community leader that promotes the importance of student health for student success, and inspiring and supporting growth of staff and the CHS organization.
Reflecting CHS’s far-reaching impact on campus, search committee co-chair Matthew Jeffries, who also serves as director of the Gender Identity/Expression and Sexual Orientation Resource Center, said representatives from a wide variety of areas and groups were involved. The search committee included three students, one of which, Jhordin Prescott, served as a co-chair. Among the many areas represented were WSU Academic Affairs, Athletics, Police, Whitman County Coroners Office, and Pullman Regional Hospital.
Prescott, a senior majoring in political science and philosophy, is particularly excited about Schwartzkopf’s passion for serving underrepresented communities. It is an asset that will help him connect with all WSU students at a time when it has never been more critical.
“He will bring a lot of energy and fresh ideas which are especially needed now as the pandemic continues to bring about much uncertainty,” Prescott said. “From a student perspective, he is a perfect fit for the position.”
Schwartzkopf holds an MBA from Colorado State University, an MPAS from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and a BS from Creighton University. He is a native of Laramie, WY and enjoys hiking and running.
Mindleap Health Announces The Launch of The World’s First Telehealth Platform For Psychedelic Integration
DENVER, Sept. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mydecine Innovations Group Inc. (MYCO.CN) (MYCOF) (0NF.F) ("Mydecine" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Mindleap Health’s (“Mindleap” ) telehealth platform will be officially available for download from the iOS and Android stores on September 30, 2020.
Mindleap was founded with the goal of enhancing the wellbeing of millions of people that struggle with mental health problems. By combining traditional telemedicine with mood and behavior analytics, the Mindleap platform offers a powerful set of tools for managing mental healthcare.
Joshua Bartch, Mydecine Director and CEO commented: “Our team is thoroughly impressed by the user experience and capabilities of Mindleap and we are excited to be able to support such an innovative and mission-driven company. The adoption of telemedicine has significantly increased in 2020 and virtual health-care interactions are on pace to top 1 billion, providing a big opportunity that I’m confident Mindleap can capitalize on.”
Platform Overview
Through Mindleap, users can browse vetted and experienced specialists and easily schedule appointments and purchase mental health services. Specialists on Mindleap benefit from the platform’s full freedom to manage their virtual practice on their terms; setting their own prices and choosing the hours they work each week (with no minimums or maximums).
Mindleap has established a model that creates value by facilitating exchanges between mental health specialists and people needing mental health services. The company is focused on creating a community with network effects that allows users to interact and transact with specialists in order to improve their mental health. Mindleap is free to use for end users and for specialists who want to build a profile. It is only when an end user purchases services on the platform that Mindleap charges a 9% fee as a percentage of each session.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8bb9a452-1cba-4e72-ad78-14a6226dfc30
Mindleap Founder and CEO, Nikolai Vassev commented: “The world is seeing a crisis that is having unprecedented effects on the wellbeing of millions of people. Mental health is hands down one of today’s most important problems and our team is thrilled to officially announce the launch of our platform.”
Effective Solutions for Psychedelic Integration
Mindleap is the world’s first telemedicine platform uniquely designed to offer psychedelic integration services and currently has over 30 professionals available to offer mental health support to clients. Psychedelics offer a window into the mind, and integration specialists help clients through a systematic process that can turn their psychedelic experience into something practical. This can include helping make sense of unique images or ideas that came to mind during a psychedelic experience, as well as setting new goals, habits and behaviours that can help to improve a person’s life.
Over the past decade, a growing body of research published by leading academic institutions such as Imperial College of London, Yale University, and Johns Hopkins University has demonstrated that psychedelic medicines like psilocybin (the active compound found in magic mushrooms), MDMA, and ketamine can be used as effective and safe treatments for a variety of mental health conditions, which often significantly outperform today’s standard pharmacological treatments and therapies.
While Mindleap does not encourage people to spend time on their phones while taking psychedelic substances, and does not facilitate psychedelic use via the platform, the company recognizes a deep need for people to connect with trained professionals who can help them discuss and understand their individual psychedelic experiences.
Dr. Danielle Wise, Director of Product Development commented: “When designing Mindleap, we focused on combining the real need for integration after a psychedelic experience with modern and innovative technologies that can help improve the overall therapeutic experience along with outcomes. As the decriminalization and legalization movement progresses we aim to be at the forefront in supporting the psychedelic community and people that are searching for real solutions that are effective but also safe and properly informed.”
Later this year, Mindleap will be expanding by adding mental health specialists with different aptitudes as well as a digital therapeutics marketplace that will allow users to access comprehensive mental health programs. These additional offerings will focus on various topics such as meditation, addiction, psychedelic integration, drug harm reduction and holistic wellness.
Mindleap Puts User Privacy and Security First
Mindleap recognizes the immense responsibility in handling people’s mental health data, and is setting a new standard for both user privacy and data integrity. Foremost, Mindleap will never sell or license user data, including electronic Personal Health Information (ePHI) to anyone. Mindleap also has strict policies around how data is handled and stored; all data is encrypted in-transit and at-rest, and specialists are not permitted to save their clients’ data – they can only view it temporarily while the user chooses to share it during a video call.
Mindleap’s software development team has built the platform to meet all HIPAA guidelines by implementing secure electronic access to health data and remains in compliance with privacy regulations and best practices.
Mindleap’s Chief Technology Officer Simon Abou-Antoun commented: “Mindleap was designed to improve upon existing software solutions our development team is already working on enhancing our capabilities so Mindleap can capture market share in the fast growing digital health market that is estimated to reach USD 510.4 billion by 2025.”
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e4a5730-fd8c-43fc-84aa-492111e6061e
Official Launch Date
Mindleap will be available for iOS and Android on Wednesday, September 30th, 2020. Register to be the first to download and get $25 of free credits on Mindleap.
About Mindleap Health
Mindleap is a telehealth solution that helps people connect with mental health specialists that can empower them to thrive and develop habits for a healthy mind. The Mindleap platform brings convenience, improves access to treatments and can lead to more personal breakthroughs. Mindleap’s proprietary platform is designed by clinical psychologists and neuroscientists to provide professional support and personalized treatment for every user. Our vision is for a world where people can make lasting life changes by having advanced tools and access to expert mental health professionals right from the palm of their hand.
Learn about Mindleap Health
Learn about The Past and Future of Psychedelics as a Medicine
Apply to become a Specialist on Mindleap
Watch the Mindleap Platform Overview Video
About Mydecine Innovations Group
Mydecine Innovations Group™ is a publicly traded life sciences parent company dedicated to the development and production of adaptive pathway medicine, natural health products and digital health solutions stemming from fungi. Mydecine’s experienced cross functional teams have the dynamic capabilities to oversee all areas of medicine development including synthesis, genetic research, import/export, delivery system development, clinical trial execution, through to product commercialization and distribution. By leveraging strategic partnerships with scientific, medical, military, and clinical organizations, Mydecine is positioned at the forefront of psychedelic medicine naturally derived from fungi, therapeutic solutions, and fungtional™ mushroom vitality products. Our portfolio of unified companies, including Mydecine Health Sciences™, Mindleap Health™, and NeuroPharm™ focus on providing innovative and effective options that can provide millions of people with a healthier quality of life.
For further information about Mydecine Innovations Group Inc., please visit the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or visit the Company’s website at www.mydecine.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors:
Joshua Bartch, Chief Executive Officer
contact@mydecineinc.com
Corp Communication:
Charles Lee, Investor Relations
corp@mydecineinc.com
Public Relations:
Cynthia Salarizadeh, Public Relations
pr@mydecineinc.com
*Mindleap Health Platform Services Disclaimer: Mindleap Services are designed to connect users of our Services with mental health specialists so as to receive assistance and guidance with integrating their prior psychedelic or consciousness-expanding experiences and translating them into positive changes. Our Services are not designed or intended for the integration or translation of a presently occurring psychedelic experience and must not be used for that purpose. Psychedelic substances are legally controlled or prohibited in many jurisdictions, but there are legal means to have a psychedelic or conscious-expanding experience in certain circumstances. You are solely responsible and liable for adequately informing yourself of the Laws of your jurisdiction before using our Services and determining if use of our Services and the receipt of Specialist Services (defined below) is lawful in your jurisdiction. Our Services are meant to be used exclusively in connection with lawful activities and must not be used in connection with illegal substances or illegal activities. Without limiting the previous sentence, you are not permitted to promote, procure, consume, or sell illegal substances through the Services. Do not use psychedelic substances if doing so is unlawful in your jurisdiction. Possession of psychedelic substances in violation of applicable laws can carry significant penalties, including years of incarceration.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management’s current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, without limitation, the availability and continuity of financing, the ability of the Company to adequately protect and enforce its intellectual property, the Company's ability to bring its products to commercial production, continued growth of the global adaptive pathway medicine, natural health products and digital health industries, and the risks presented by the highly regulated and competitive market concerning the development, production, sale and use of the Company's products. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell securities and the Company is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. These securities have not and will not be registered under United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to a U.S. Person unless so registered, or an exemption from registration is relied upon.
Mindleap Health Announces The Launch of The World’s First Telehealth Platform For Psychedelic Integration
DENVER, Sept. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mydecine Innovations Group Inc. (MYCO.CN) (MYCOF) (0NF.F) ("Mydecine" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Mindleap Health’s (“Mindleap” ) telehealth platform will be officially available for download from the iOS and Android stores on September 30, 2020.
Mindleap was founded with the goal of enhancing the wellbeing of millions of people that struggle with mental health problems. By combining traditional telemedicine with mood and behavior analytics, the Mindleap platform offers a powerful set of tools for managing mental healthcare.
Joshua Bartch, Mydecine Director and CEO commented: “Our team is thoroughly impressed by the user experience and capabilities of Mindleap and we are excited to be able to support such an innovative and mission-driven company. The adoption of telemedicine has significantly increased in 2020 and virtual health-care interactions are on pace to top 1 billion, providing a big opportunity that I’m confident Mindleap can capitalize on.”
Platform Overview
Through Mindleap, users can browse vetted and experienced specialists and easily schedule appointments and purchase mental health services. Specialists on Mindleap benefit from the platform’s full freedom to manage their virtual practice on their terms; setting their own prices and choosing the hours they work each week (with no minimums or maximums).
Mindleap has established a model that creates value by facilitating exchanges between mental health specialists and people needing mental health services. The company is focused on creating a community with network effects that allows users to interact and transact with specialists in order to improve their mental health. Mindleap is free to use for end users and for specialists who want to build a profile. It is only when an end user purchases services on the platform that Mindleap charges a 9% fee as a percentage of each session.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8bb9a452-1cba-4e72-ad78-14a6226dfc30
Mindleap Founder and CEO, Nikolai Vassev commented: “The world is seeing a crisis that is having unprecedented effects on the wellbeing of millions of people. Mental health is hands down one of today’s most important problems and our team is thrilled to officially announce the launch of our platform.”
Effective Solutions for Psychedelic Integration
Mindleap is the world’s first telemedicine platform uniquely designed to offer psychedelic integration services and currently has over 30 professionals available to offer mental health support to clients. Psychedelics offer a window into the mind, and integration specialists help clients through a systematic process that can turn their psychedelic experience into something practical. This can include helping make sense of unique images or ideas that came to mind during a psychedelic experience, as well as setting new goals, habits and behaviours that can help to improve a person’s life.
Over the past decade, a growing body of research published by leading academic institutions such as Imperial College of London, Yale University, and Johns Hopkins University has demonstrated that psychedelic medicines like psilocybin (the active compound found in magic mushrooms), MDMA, and ketamine can be used as effective and safe treatments for a variety of mental health conditions, which often significantly outperform today’s standard pharmacological treatments and therapies.
While Mindleap does not encourage people to spend time on their phones while taking psychedelic substances, and does not facilitate psychedelic use via the platform, the company recognizes a deep need for people to connect with trained professionals who can help them discuss and understand their individual psychedelic experiences.
Dr. Danielle Wise, Director of Product Development commented: “When designing Mindleap, we focused on combining the real need for integration after a psychedelic experience with modern and innovative technologies that can help improve the overall therapeutic experience along with outcomes. As the decriminalization and legalization movement progresses we aim to be at the forefront in supporting the psychedelic community and people that are searching for real solutions that are effective but also safe and properly informed.”
Later this year, Mindleap will be expanding by adding mental health specialists with different aptitudes as well as a digital therapeutics marketplace that will allow users to access comprehensive mental health programs. These additional offerings will focus on various topics such as meditation, addiction, psychedelic integration, drug harm reduction and holistic wellness.
Mindleap Puts User Privacy and Security First
Mindleap recognizes the immense responsibility in handling people’s mental health data, and is setting a new standard for both user privacy and data integrity. Foremost, Mindleap will never sell or license user data, including electronic Personal Health Information (ePHI) to anyone. Mindleap also has strict policies around how data is handled and stored; all data is encrypted in-transit and at-rest, and specialists are not permitted to save their clients’ data – they can only view it temporarily while the user chooses to share it during a video call.
Mindleap’s software development team has built the platform to meet all HIPAA guidelines by implementing secure electronic access to health data and remains in compliance with privacy regulations and best practices.
Mindleap’s Chief Technology Officer Simon Abou-Antoun commented: “Mindleap was designed to improve upon existing software solutions our development team is already working on enhancing our capabilities so Mindleap can capture market share in the fast growing digital health market that is estimated to reach USD 510.4 billion by 2025.”
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0e4a5730-fd8c-43fc-84aa-492111e6061e
Official Launch Date
Mindleap will be available for iOS and Android on Wednesday, September 30th, 2020. Register to be the first to download and get $25 of free credits on Mindleap.
About Mindleap Health
Mindleap is a telehealth solution that helps people connect with mental health specialists that can empower them to thrive and develop habits for a healthy mind. The Mindleap platform brings convenience, improves access to treatments and can lead to more personal breakthroughs. Mindleap’s proprietary platform is designed by clinical psychologists and neuroscientists to provide professional support and personalized treatment for every user. Our vision is for a world where people can make lasting life changes by having advanced tools and access to expert mental health professionals right from the palm of their hand.
Learn about Mindleap Health
Learn about The Past and Future of Psychedelics as a Medicine
Apply to become a Specialist on Mindleap
Watch the Mindleap Platform Overview Video
About Mydecine Innovations Group
Mydecine Innovations Group™ is a publicly traded life sciences parent company dedicated to the development and production of adaptive pathway medicine, natural health products and digital health solutions stemming from fungi. Mydecine’s experienced cross functional teams have the dynamic capabilities to oversee all areas of medicine development including synthesis, genetic research, import/export, delivery system development, clinical trial execution, through to product commercialization and distribution. By leveraging strategic partnerships with scientific, medical, military, and clinical organizations, Mydecine is positioned at the forefront of psychedelic medicine naturally derived from fungi, therapeutic solutions, and fungtional™ mushroom vitality products. Our portfolio of unified companies, including Mydecine Health Sciences™, Mindleap Health™, and NeuroPharm™ focus on providing innovative and effective options that can provide millions of people with a healthier quality of life.
For further information about Mydecine Innovations Group Inc., please visit the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or visit the Company’s website at www.mydecine.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors:
Joshua Bartch, Chief Executive Officer
contact@mydecineinc.com
Corp Communication:
Charles Lee, Investor Relations
corp@mydecineinc.com
Public Relations:
Cynthia Salarizadeh, Public Relations
pr@mydecineinc.com
*Mindleap Health Platform Services Disclaimer: Mindleap Services are designed to connect users of our Services with mental health specialists so as to receive assistance and guidance with integrating their prior psychedelic or consciousness-expanding experiences and translating them into positive changes. Our Services are not designed or intended for the integration or translation of a presently occurring psychedelic experience and must not be used for that purpose. Psychedelic substances are legally controlled or prohibited in many jurisdictions, but there are legal means to have a psychedelic or conscious-expanding experience in certain circumstances. You are solely responsible and liable for adequately informing yourself of the Laws of your jurisdiction before using our Services and determining if use of our Services and the receipt of Specialist Services (defined below) is lawful in your jurisdiction. Our Services are meant to be used exclusively in connection with lawful activities and must not be used in connection with illegal substances or illegal activities. Without limiting the previous sentence, you are not permitted to promote, procure, consume, or sell illegal substances through the Services. Do not use psychedelic substances if doing so is unlawful in your jurisdiction. Possession of psychedelic substances in violation of applicable laws can carry significant penalties, including years of incarceration.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release and accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy hereof. This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management’s current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, without limitation, the availability and continuity of financing, the ability of the Company to adequately protect and enforce its intellectual property, the Company's ability to bring its products to commercial production, continued growth of the global adaptive pathway medicine, natural health products and digital health industries, and the risks presented by the highly regulated and competitive market concerning the development, production, sale and use of the Company's products. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required under applicable securities legislation. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell securities and the Company is not soliciting an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. These securities have not and will not be registered under United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to a U.S. Person unless so registered, or an exemption from registration is relied upon.
Health Gorilla Crosses One Million Clinical Documents Exchanged on CommonWell
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Gorilla, a leader in clinical data APIs, today announced that it has become the largest facilitator of clinical document exchange as a part of the CommonWell Connector™ program in CommonWell Health Alliance. Through its CommonWell Connector status, Health Gorilla has facilitated the exchange of over 1.2 million clinical documents for digital health developers to support patient care.
Health Gorilla offers healthcare organizations the ability to connect and exchange health data with the more than 17,000 provider sites live on the CommonWell nationwide network. Its FHIR-based API allows digital health developers to onboard quickly and retrieve comprehensive clinical data from participating hospitals and clinics without having to do individual integrations.
Health Gorilla's clients, including Heal, WellVia, and IntellaTriage, are retrieving documents from the CommonWell network to power their digital care programs, supporting providers with medical data from a broad set of EMR systems. Health Gorilla's latest client, New York-based MyRx365, will leverage Health Gorilla and its embedded CommonWell services to access clinical data from different sources to improve the pharmacy experience for patients. MyRx365 offers same-day delivery for medications, affordable prices, and seamless medication management through their mobile app.
Digital health developers are leveraging Health Gorilla's FHIR APIs to connect to the CommonWell network without having to go through an additional certification and integration process.
"We're thrilled to share this significant milestone as more developers adopt our APIs to retrieve medical records," said Steve Yaskin, Chief Executive Officer of Health Gorilla. "Interoperability has become an essential function for digital health products, and we're thrilled to work with CommonWell to bring efficient data access to more developers and providers."
"Health Gorilla's commitment to facilitating clinical data exchange is exactly what we had in mind when we created the CommonWell Connector program," said Paul L. Wilder, Executive Director of CommonWell Health Alliance. "Digital health developers have had to embrace interoperability at an accelerated pace to help providers during the current pandemic, and Health Gorilla has been a great ally in bringing these connections to life."
Health Gorilla was the first CommonWell member to join the CommonWell Connector program in 2019. For more information about Health Gorilla's APIs, visit developer.healthgorilla.com.
About Health Gorilla
Founded in 2014, Health Gorilla is a secure interoperability solution that enables the entire health care ecosystem – patients, payers, providers, digital health solutions, and labs – to seamlessly share health data and aggregate each patient's entire clinical history in one place. With enterprise-grade patient identity matching, an unparalleled patient index, and best-in-class security, the Health Gorilla network makes it easy for providers to pull their patient's information from any other clinical records system. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Health Gorilla works with health care organizations around the world, helping them gather the clinical data they need to deliver the best and most appropriate care for their patients. For more information, visit healthgorilla.com or follow us on Twitter @HealthGorilla.
See more
0 comments:
Post a Comment