Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE NEW IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Digital Health
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • Special Reports
    • Innovations
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Awards
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
    • Women in Healthcare
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
    • - Leaders to Watch
    • - Luminaries
    • - Top 25 Women Leaders
    • - Women to Watch
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Strategic Marketing
    • - Virtual Health
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Opinion & Editorial
October 10, 2019 12:00 PM

Supporting mental health is good for employees, good for business

Alex Gourlay and Betsy Schwartz
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Alex Gourlay, left, is co-chief operating officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Betsy Schwartz is a vice president at the National Council for Behavioral Health.

    Look around your workplace and consider that, on average, 1 in 5 of your co-workers currently lives with a mental health condition.

    Closer to home, that same 20% also applies to your friends, family members, neighbors and our population as a whole. What's more, studies show at least half of these individuals, if not more, are currently not seeking treatment and may never get needed care.

    The prevalence of conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, combined with significant challenges with access to treatment and care, has created what many consider to be a complex and full-blown health crisis in America today. And it's one we're bringing greater awareness to globally on Oct. 10 for World Mental Health Day.

    Despite the challenges, the nation is making progress with solutions, and one place where we can truly make an impact is the workplace. Employers have some of the best opportunities to provide much-needed services and benefits in the areas of mental and behavioral health for employees and their families.

    In the U.S., mental health and substance use issues cost businesses $80 billion to $100 billion each year. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated $1 trillion annually in lost productivity, according to the World Health Organization.

    While any impact to a company's bottom line can't be ignored, it's critical to make treating mental illness a top priority and do everything we can as employers to help ensure the best possible health, well-being and outcomes for each and every employee. After all, they are and always will be an organization's greatest asset.

    It's against this backdrop that Walgreens and the National Council for Behavioral Health in May announced a unique collaboration to provide Mental Health First Aid training for employees within Walgreens' human resources department. The training teaches mental health literacy, understanding risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns and strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and other situations.

    As a national pharmacy chain and employer of 240,000 people in the U.S., it furthers the company's growing commitment to workplace mental health and builds upon a number of other services and resources the company offers employees and their families through its employee assistance program.

    Mental Health First Aid is another investment in an area of critical need at a time when many organizations are focused on simply cutting healthcare costs. If more employers get on board with spending more on mental and behavioral health services, it can only help.

    The reality is that improving access to care and reducing stigma can help lower overall costs for employers and employees by virtue of better health outcomes in the long run. It can also lead to a happier, more engaged and more productive workforce, and what employer wouldn't want that?

    When we consider how much of our lifetimes are spent at work, it's no surprise that the workplace can have a significant impact on our psychological well-being, positively or negatively. After all, it's estimated that the average U.S. adult will spend about one-third of their lifetime at work.

    Of course there are significant factors outside of the workplace that can impact one's mental health, such as relationships, illness, finances, children and myriad other external influences. Regardless of where the various stressors and sources may lie, the call for help needs to start with employers, to provide the programs, services, education and training necessary to demonstrate that employees being their single greatest asset isn't just a cliché.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Dennis Matheis
    Sentara Healthcare names Dennis Matheis next top executive
    supreme-court-healthcare-ok_WEB_i.jpg
    Healthcare groups react to Supreme Court abortion ruling
    Sponsored Content
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Digital Health
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate/Eligibility
      • 100 Most Influential People
      • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
      • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      • Excellence in Governance
      • Health Care Hall of Fame
      • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
      • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
      • Top 25 Innovators
      • Diversity in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
        • - Leaders to Watch
      • Women in Healthcare
        • - Luminaries
        • - Top 25 Women Leaders
        • - Women to Watch
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Leadership Symposium
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Supply Chain Revenue Cycle
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Strategic Marketing
        • - Virtual Health
      • Webinars
      • Custom Media Event: ESG Summit
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing