Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
E-Update, May 2009
Topics in this issue:
May is Mental Health Month
Swine Flu (H1N1) Outbreak
Economy & Mental Health
Save the Date: DMEC Annual Conference, July 19�22, 2009
Mental Health Parity Law
Partnership News
Workplace Mental Health News
May is Mental Health Month
Live Your Life Well. In honor of Mental Health Month, Mental Health America launched the �Live Your Life Well� campaign aimed at providing research-based tools to combat stress and promote health and well-being. During these difficult times, it�s important to let employees know that there are healthy ways to buffer the effects of stress and cope effectively.
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health suggests that you consider promoting the campaign to your employees. Encourage them to visit the "Live Your Life Well" webpage to take a personal stress test and access tools designed to help relax, grow and flourish. Free fact sheets are also available on a number of topics including:
- Are You Feeling Stressed Out?
- Parenting During Tough Economic Times
- Depression: Know the Signs
- Stress: Know the Signs
- Staying Well When You Have a Mental Health Condition
SWINE FLU (H1N1) OUTBREAK
Talking to Kids about the Swine Flu (H1N1) Outbreak
The recent health scare is not easy for anyone to comprehend or accept. Understandably, many young children feel frightened and confused. As caring adults, we can help kids cope with stressful events and experiences. Although these may be difficult conversations, they are important. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to talk with children about such this and other stressful events. Visit HealthyMinds.org for more information.
Other resources for the workplace from the CDC:
- Swine (H1N1) Flu Key Facts: Provides key facts about H1N1.
- Swine Flu and You: Provides basic answers to questions about H1N1.
- Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School: Fact sheet on how to curb germs in the workplace, at home, and in schools.
- Workplace Planning/PandemicFlu.gov web site: Includes flyers and posters, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Chinese.
Getting Through Tough Economic Times
Looking for practical advice on how to deal with the effects financial difficulties can have on your physical and mental health? Both the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have tips available for coping, how to access help, and provides a list of possible warning signs to look for in individuals you think may be reaching their breaking point.
For more information, download tips from the APA here (PDF) or visit the SAMHSA website.
In Troubled Economy, Woman Likely to Focus on Others At Expense of Their Own Mental Health. More than two-thirds of American women interviewed for an American Psychiatric Association (APA) survey say that the nation's sagging economy has negatively affected both their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Participants report sharp increases in stress, anxiety, frustration and other negative mental health indicators since the recession took hold last fall, with job loss pushing these increases even higher. And while more than three-quarters of these women report engaging in one or more positive coping strategies, most tend to prioritize family and other financial responsibilities ahead of their own needs.
APA has published a series of tips to help both men and women keep their focus during difficult times including focusing on the positive, making time for socializing, and knowing when to get additional help.
For more information, and to access the full list of tips, visit HealthyMinds.org.
Financial and Health Burdens of Chronic Disease Grow. Almost 3 in 10 working-age Americans with diabetes, asthma, depression or other chronic conditions lived in families with problems paying medical bills in 2007�a significant increase from 2 in 10 in 2003, according to a national study released by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The study also found that the overall prevalence of chronic conditions increased between 2003 and 2007.
For more information on this important study, click here.
SAVE THE DATE
DMEC Annual International Conference
Expanding Our Horizons: Cost Savings Through Collaboration & Innovation in Workforce Management
Hilton Doubletree Hotel-Lloyd Center, Portland, Oregon
July 19 � 22, 2009
Are absent or unproductive employees costing your company money? The Disability Management Employer Coalition's (DMEC) Annual Conference is the one place where human resource professionals from across the country come together to share thoughts, strategies and ideas on best practices, emerging technologies, and practical applications within the broad, evolving field of employee productivity, disability, and absence management. For more details and to register, visit www.dmec.org.
Mental Health Parity Law
The Partnership now offers information for employers on the recently passed Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (click here). The law will require businesses with more than 50 employees that offer mental health coverage to provide comparable day and visit limits, deductibles, copays, and out-of-network charges for mental health/substance use benefits.
Employer Survey. If you haven�t already participated, please fill out our quick survey to tell us how the law will impact your current plan design. The survey will close on May 12, 2009. Please click here to participate in the survey. Survey results will be posted online and distributed by E-Update.
Our web site offers the following:
- Employer Parity Fact Sheet
- FAQ on the law
- Link to the legislation (see pages 310-344 of the displayed law for the mental health parity section)
- Information on how to respond to the recent federal government's Request For Information
Welcome New Partners! Three new organizations have joined our growing roster of employer Partners: The Center for Health Value Innovation, Families for Depression Awareness, and FirstEnergy Corp.:
- The Center for Health Value Innovation is focused on advancing value based benefit design among employers
and other health care purchasers. Its mission is to establish value and share evidence for sustainable health
and financial improvement.
- Families for Depression Awareness�s mission is to help families recognize and cope with depressive disorders to
get people well and prevent suicides.
- FirstEnergy is a diversified electric company comprised of seven electric utility operating companies which together serve 4.5 million customers.
To read more about employee financial distress and what employers can do to help, click here to download your copy of our newest resource.
To be added to the Research Works distribution list, please email mleftwich@psych.org. Please note that electronic subscribers of Mental HealthWorks are already signed up.
Partnership's Database of Employers Innovations Online! Employer Innovations Online is an easily navigated, user-friendly tool describing actual practices of leading companies in key areas, such as screening and education, Employee Assistance Programs, disability management, and wellness programs. Each case study in the database describes the practice(s) of one employer, such as American Airlines, DuPont, JPMorgan Chase, Sprint and our newest employer, Weingarten Realty Investors. Visit Employer Innovations Online now!
Are you doing something at your workplace to address mental health? We invite you to participate in this exciting initiative! Have you found success with a specific approach from which others can learn? Interested companies and organizations can submit their innovative approaches to workplace mental health online at www.workplacementalhealth.org/search or contact Mary Claire Leftwich at (703) 907- 8561 or mleftwich@psych.org to arrange to share your story � we�ll do all the work for you!
WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS
Employers Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health. The National Business Group on Health convened the Advisory Council on Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health to develop recommendations for the comprehensive delivery of employer-sponsored child and adolescent mental health benefits. The Advisory Council identified common barriers to care that should be addressed as well as employer-based strategies to help reduce caregiver burden. The recommendations in the report provide solutions to the issues highlighted by the Advisory Council and focus on employer-based strategies for health plans, Employee Assistance Programs and workplace policies.
To read the full report, visit the Business Group�s website, or click here.
Most Employers Underestimate Full Costs of Employee Health on Productivity. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine published a National Pharmaceutical Council-funded study titled, "Health and Productivity as a Business Strategy: A Multiemployer Study." The study found that employers who focus only on medical and pharmacy costs in creating employee health strategies may misidentify the health conditions that most impact the productivity of their employees.
Click here for more details.
Treating Addiction in the Workplace. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has made a series of issue briefs available for employers on the financial benefits of treating workers with a substance use disorder. "Surveys have shown that 76 percent of people with drug or alcohol problems are employed and that their problems can have an enormous impact on productivity," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick.
The 14 briefs are available for download Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health. If you have any questions, or you wish not to receive these updates, please e-mail Mary Claire Leftwich at mleftwich@psych.org. Visit www.workplacementalhealth.org or call 703-907-8561 for more information.