Newtopia Delivers Expanded Mental Health Offerings for Health Insurers

BDNF Genetic Testing and PROMIS^® now added to Newtopia's habit change experience, providing additional opportunities for cost savings

TORONTO, July 20, 2021 /CNW/ - Newtopia Inc. ("Newtopia" or the "Company") (TSXV: NEWU), a tech-enabled habit change provider focused on disease prevention, today announced the expansion of its mental health offering to health insurers. Testing for the BDNF gene, which gauges resilience to stress, and usage of the PROMIS^® questionnaire, which measures for mental and emotional health, are now part of the Company's unique habit change experience.

Newtopia focuses on whole person health, the belief that physical and mental health must be evaluated together to prevent, reverse and slow the progression of chronic disease. By working with each individual holistically, the Newtopia habit change platform helps to increase participant engagement and stickiness, while providing health insurer clients additional opportunities for cost savings. These new mental health offerings will be part of the existing Newtopia experiences, which include Weight Management, Diabetes Prevention, MetS/Disease Prevention, Hypertension and Heart Health and Healthy Living with Diabetes. The Company also recently added a Habit Change and Resiliency experience, designed for individuals who do not have physical health risks but who do require improvements to their habits and mental health to achieve enhanced whole health.

Newtopia's two new mental health offerings were developed in the Newtopia Innovation Lab. The Lab is a center of innovation across technology, program evolution, strategic partnerships and more. Newtopia's innovation team is focused on identifying and implementing the most state-of-the-art physical and mental health offerings proven to deliver sustainable habit change through evidence-based results.

"Newtopia has always been dedicated to offering whole person care – improving physical and mental health – through habit change with a focus on nutrition, exercise and well-being, or the N-E-W that makes up Newtopia," said Jeff Ruby, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Newtopia. "It is clear that on their own, solutions for physical health or mental health improvement will never create sustainable change and in turn generate significant cost savings for health insurers and other risk bearing entities. The physical and mental must be treated simultaneously. Now, with these two new mental health offerings included in our habit change platform, we anticipate being able to provide additional cost savings and an improved ROI for our health insurer clients, while successfully driving sustained habit change throughout our platform." 

More about the BDNF Gene

Newtopia's first new mental health offering is the addition of a BDNF gene assessment as part of the genetic engagement offered to participants. A mutation of this gene may lead to an increased risk of obesity, an increased vulnerability to stress and difficulty managing emotions. Individuals who have a mutation may find challenging situations more difficult to manage, feel overwhelmed with daily tasks, perceive something to be more stressful than it is, and when stressed, be more likely to experience bouts of low mood.

By understanding each participant's genomic data, Newtopia's Inspirators (health coaches) can provide actionable recommendations for behavior modification specific to that participant's unique lifestyle. Examples of recommendations may include building resilience with daily habits to decrease the number of events perceived as stressful, as well as incorporating practices that boost participants' moods, such as exercise, yoga, journaling, reading, cooking and increased social interactions.

More about PROMIS^®

Newtopia's second new mental health offering is the inclusion of PROMIS^® (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), which was established in 2004 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. PROMIS^® enables Inspirators to gauge a baseline of participants' mental health as it relates to mood, anxiety, stress, sleep and energy through an easy-to-use questionnaire. Data gathered from this questionnaire will provide insights into where an intervention may be needed, which can then be leveraged to develop a framework for establishing new behavioral health habits. Changes in participant scores will be measured every four months to assess improvement over time and to identify areas for further development. Aggregate level data will be shared in client reporting and individual scores will be shared with participants.

Mr. Ruby concluded, "Throughout the pandemic, we were able to deliver meaningful engagement and outcomes for our health insurer clients by considering the whole person. Our recent participant studies have proven that the Newtopia habit change platform can consistently deliver clinically significant improvements in physical health, even during a global pandemic. We now look forward to adding to our toolkit with these new mental health offerings, enhancing the value and in turn the cost savings we offer our clients, while at the same time encouraging a larger base of potential individuals to sign up for our habit change platform."

About Newtopia

Newtopia is a tech-enabled habit change provider focused on disease prevention and reducing the cost of care for health insurers. As a provider of whole person care, we prevent, reverse and slow the progression of chronic disease while enriching mental health, resilience and overall human performance. Newtopia's programs leverage genetic, social and behavioral insights to create individualized prevention programs with a focus on type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and weight. With a person-centered approach that combines virtual care, digital tools, connected devices and actionable data science, Newtopia delivers sustainable clinical and financial outcomes. Newtopia serves some of the largest nationwide employers and health plans and is currently listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSXV: NEWU). To learn more, visit newtopia.com, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, and forward looking statements, within the meaning of applicable United States securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), which reflects management's expectations regarding Newtopia's future growth, results from operations (including, without limitation, future production and capital expenditures), performance (both operational and financial) and business prospects and opportunities. Wherever possible, words such as "predicts", "projects", "targets", "plans", "expects", "does not expect", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "anticipate" or "does not anticipate", "believe", "intend" and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology have been used to identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking ‎information. Such statements reflect Newtopia's current views and intentions with respect to future ‎events, based on information available to Newtopia, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and ‎assumptions. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. While forward-looking statements are based on data, assumptions and analyses that Newtopia believes are reasonable under the circumstances, whether actual results, performance or developments will meet Newtopia's expectations and predictions depends on a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition of Newtopia to differ materially from its expectations. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, the estimated cost savings to plan payers associated with the use of Newtopia's platform by plan members, the potential cost of care reduction for other Medicare risk-bearing entities, the continued engagement with Newtopia's platform by plan members, clients continuing to offer Newtopia's platform pursuant to agreements entered into, statements relating to Newtopia's business plans and outlook. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee and are based on a number of estimates and assumptions management believes to be relevant and reasonable, whether actual results, performance or developments will meet Newtopia's expectations and predictions depends on a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition of Newtopia to differ materially from its expectations. Certain of the "risk factors" that could cause ‎actual results to differ materially from Newtopia's forward-looking statements in this press release ‎include, without limitation: the termination of contracts by clients, risks related to COVID-19 including various recommendations, orders and measures of ‎‎governmental authorities to try to limit the pandemic, including travel restrictions, border closures, ‎‎non-essential business closures, quarantines, self-isolations, shelters-in-place and social ‎distancing, ‎disruptions to markets, economic activity, financing, supply chains and sales channels, ‎and a ‎deterioration of general economic conditions including a possible national or global ‎recession; and other general economic, market and business conditions and factors, including the risk factors discussed or referred to in Newtopia's disclosure documents, filed with the securities ‎regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com including Newtopia's final long form prospectus dated March 30, 2020.

Should any factor affect Newtopia's in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward- looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Newtopia does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release, and Newtopia undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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SOURCE Newtopia Inc.