Latest news with #ConnieChen
The Guardian
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Falling: A Disabled Love Story review – clever comedy provokes our prejudice for happy endings
Stories will be everywhere in the coming weeks of the Edinburgh fringe. Some we will want to hear, others to dismiss. Perhaps we will yearn for the kind of uplifting tale given to us initially by Aaron Pang – about a tragic accident and his overcoming of adversity to find true love. Or perhaps we will demand something grittier. In his sweet and clever one-man show, Pang offers to give us both. First, he leads us into a happy-ending trap; a story that is not what it seems. Then, he questions our need to see him, a disabled man who walks with leg supports and a cane, as the conquering hero of his own story. Would we think less of him if the dice had not rolled in his favour? To demonstrate how programmed we are, he shows us a diagram of a classic story arc, mirroring the tale he has just told. Even then, with our eyes wide open, we still want a narrative in which everything works out. He gives us the option of two endings, Choose Your Own Adventure style, and smiles wryly when we vote for the most comforting. Connie Chen's simple, chatty production sits somewhere between standup and spoken word, framing the actor as charming, cheery and self-aware as he describes with humour and not a little poignancy the mismatch between his erotic desire and physical capability. What starts as a standard coming-of-age tale about a boys' school chorister making fumbling approaches to the girl he fancies turns into something sharper and deeper. Pang is brave in his willingness to talk about a sex life that deviates from the social norm and gently provocative in his needling of the audience: what prejudice lies behind our impulse for the perfect story in an imperfect world? At the Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 25 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
Business Wire
01-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Lyra Health Introduces Centers of Excellence to Help Employees Thrive Through Life's Most Challenging Moments
BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lyra Health, the leading provider of innovative Workforce Mental Health solutions for employers, today introduced its Centers of Excellence (COEs), specialized programs designed to support the highest-need members through coordinated, expert-led care. Lyra's COEs deliver faster recovery and improved outcomes by connecting members to the right level of care early, reducing the need for costly interventions like emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and lowering total health care spend for employers. The COE model builds on Lyra's core clinical foundation to support conditions where traditional systems often fall short, such as supporting neurodiverse individuals of all ages, women's mental health, and employees managing mental health needs alongside chronic conditions. Each Center connects members to a team of specialists—therapists, prescribing clinicians, coaches, and family support experts—who collaborate under structured care plans tailored to specific conditions. This approach delivers personalized support for members, while helping employers manage health care costs and reduce disability leaves. 'The mental health system often fails people when they need it most—during periods of profound change or crisis,' said Dr. Connie Chen, Chief Medical Officer, Lyra Health. 'Whether it's a parent navigating their child's new diagnosis, managing mental health alongside a chronic condition, or seeking support through experiences like fertility struggles, pregnancy, caregiving, or menopause, the journey can be overwhelming. Our Centers of Excellence bring structure, support, and science to these critical life moments, helping people get better, faster.' Lyra's Centers of Excellence are built to help employees and families navigate a disconnected system, coordinating between therapists, psychiatrists, medical providers, and specialists. Each Center delivers condition-specific support grounded in clinical expertise, proactive care coordination, and personalized treatment plans that evolve with the individual. Specialized Support Where It's Needed Most Lyra is committed to addressing urgent and costly mental health needs that are increasingly common in today's workforce. Lyra's Centers of Excellence provide access to multidisciplinary support and replace fragmentation with structured, collaborative care: Center of Excellence for Neurodiversity offers neuropsychological assessments, diagnosis and tailored care for ADHD, and support for autism and learning differences, designed for individuals, workplaces, and families Center of Excellence supporting Chronic Conditions offers mental health care for members managing co-occurring conditions like chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and sleep issues Center of Excellence for Women's Mental Health delivers evidence-based, personalized support across every life stage for women—from menstrual health and fertility through pregnancy, postpartum, caregiving, and menopause As mental health needs continue to evolve, Lyra will build on its COEs to both deepen existing areas of support and introduce new Centers, ensuring members and employers have access to comprehensive support across the full spectrum of needs. Raising the Standard for Mental Health in the Workplace Each Center is grounded in five foundational pillars: Deep clinical expertise in-house, led by Lyra's network of evidence-based mental health providers specializing in fields like pediatrics, autism spectrum disorder, weight management, and women's mental health Multi-disciplinary, team-based care with mental health professionals, physical health benefits providers, and health specialists collaborating directly to deliver seamless whole-person support, removing the burden of care coordination from the member Measurable outcomes, with clear tracking of clinical progress, recovery timelines, and care quality to ensure members improve faster and employers see real impact Standardized best practices based on evidence-based protocols, clinical research, and continuous quality improvement to drive consistent, high-quality care across every Center Scalability and innovation, powered by AI and predictive analytics to personalize care pathways and adapt to evolving workforce needs For more information about Lyra's Centers of Excellence, visit About Lyra Health Lyra Health is the leading provider of Workforce Mental Health benefits, available to more than 20 million people globally. Lyra is transforming access to life-changing mental health care through Lyra Empower, the only fully integrated, AI-powered platform combining the highest-quality care and technology solutions for members, providers and HR leaders. Empower works in the background to quickly connect members to the largest global network of evidence-based mental health providers, deliver actionable insights to benefit leaders, and free up providers to focus on client care—driving outstanding positive outcomes that are equitable across diverse racial and ethnic groups. Extensive peer-reviewed research confirms Lyra's transformative care model helps people recover twice as fast and results in a 26% annual reduction in overall healthcare claims costs. For more information, visit
