Thursday, January 14, 2021 We’ve been talking about telehealth and mental health this week. Here’s both combined in one interesting and highly valued announcement today, followed by several tests – well, 3 million COVID tests a week to be exact, and, speaking of Exact Sciences, developments in the early detection tests for the other major disease that is most feared, cancer. Telehealth and Mental Health One area where telehealth is likely here to stay is in the behavioral health space. Look no further than the latest SPAC acquisition announcement today with the behavioral health-focused TalkSpace announcing its $1.4 billion go-public SPAC deal with Hudson Executive. TalkSpace, a pure-play virtual behavioral health platform that is subscription based and offers text-based asynchronous (i.e., not “live”) therapy, has shown immense growth during 2020 and has demonstrated that increased access and lower costs for behavioral health services can drive better outcomes. You may have seen the company’s advertising recently that features Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps or actress Demi Lovato. The company connects directly with consumers and through health plans and employee benefit plans to over 46,000 members. It has a network of over 2,650 providers and has 39 million commercial covered lives. Perhaps the most critical aspect of its offering is the ease of use. Connecting with a therapist or psychiatrist can take days, weeks or months to set up in a traditional in-person setting.