Sesame Workshop and Viatris Launch New Emotional Health and Wellbeing Resources for Families Grappling with Effects of COVID-19

New Videos and Resources Support the Social and Emotional Needs of Families Across Generations

PITTSBURGH, March 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, is launching new bilingual resources made possible by Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) to support the social and emotional needs of families and caregivers across generations as they collectively continue to adapt to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Building on previous global resources addressing key emotions felt during the pandemic, launched in 2020, the new phase includes five new videos featuring beloved Sesame characters like Elmo and Grover, as they learn to handle big changes, hold mindful moments, take care of themselves and their loved ones, and so much more. In one video, launching today, Grover and Elmo learn the different ways families say goodbye as kids are going back to school and parents are returning to work, like giving each other big hugs or doing a special "goodbye dance." Additional videos and resources will be released on a rolling basis over the coming months.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, people around the world are facing increased stress, pressure, and other challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health-related emergency department visits in the US rose 24% for children between the ages of five and 11 and 31% for those between the ages of 12 and 17 beginning in April 2020 in comparison to the year before.  

"As members of the global healthcare community, we've seen firsthand the pandemic's lasting social and emotional effects in all corners of the globe. We first engaged with Sesame Workshop in 2020 during the height of COVID-19 and saw the impact their resources had on helping families and caregivers navigate extremely tough times. Through this second phase, we are extending our support of Sesame Workshop to enable a new collection of resources for families and caregivers globally," said Lara Ramsburg, Head of Corporate Affairs for Viatris. "Viatris is committed to empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life, regardless of geography or circumstance, and improving health often begins from the inside out. We could not be prouder to support Sesame Workshop and continue this important work to help countless individuals, children, families and caregivers."

The new resources, which can be found at SesameStreet.org/caring, are designed to encourage positive conversations between children, caregivers, and families about separation anxiety and the effects of isolation and unpredictability, communicating changes and uncertainty, and mitigating parental stress amidst personal loss and economic strains, as well as normalizing asking for help. Over the course of the next three months, materials will be released globally, including in the US, India, Middle East, South Korea, and Turkey.

"Navigating the effects of a global pandemic has been difficult for children and their families around the world," said Rocío Galarza, Vice President of Content Design, US Social Impact, Sesame Workshop. "With generous support from Viatris, Sesame Workshop is able to adapt to and meet the needs of children globally and provide resources to help them process big feelings, communicate with friends and grown-ups in their lives, and take care of themselves and their communities."

The materials launched today are part of Sesame Workshop's Caring for Each Other initiative, which was created in 2020 in response to the uncertainty sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the initiative has reached families in more than 100 countries and 41 languages.

SesameStreet.org/caring is continuously updated to reflect the ever-evolving needs of parents, caregivers, and children worldwide. Additional resources are distributed through a wide range of national and community providers as part of Sesame Street in Communities, Sesame Workshop's program to support children and families.

About Viatris 
Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) is a new kind of healthcare company, empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. We provide access to medicines, advance sustainable operations, develop innovative solutions and leverage our collective expertise to connect more people to more products and services through our one-of-a-kind Global Healthcare Gateway®. Formed in November 2020, Viatris brings together scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise with proven regulatory, medical, and commercial capabilities to deliver high-quality medicines to patients in more than 165 countries and territories. Viatris' portfolio comprises more than 1,400 approved molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas, spanning both non-communicable and infectious diseases, including globally recognized brands, complex generic and branded medicines, a portfolio of biosimilars and a variety of over-the-counter consumer products. With a global workforce of approximately 37,000, Viatris is headquartered in the U.S., with global centers in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India. Learn more at viatris.com and investor.viatris.com, and connect with us on Twitter at @ViatrisInc, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We're present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.

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