At Wake County Government, the social workers, first responders, electricians, physicians, plumbers, attorneys, and auto technicians represent just a fraction of their diverse workforce. Their employees come from various educational backgrounds and skill sets, reflecting a rich tapestry of races, ethnicities, religions, generations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. With such a diverse workforce, Wake County Government recognizes the importance of using varied engagement strategies to effectively reach all employees. They are successfully shifting the perception of mental health within their workforce by continuously refining their strategy based on three best practices:
- Follow the data
- Increase access to wellness resources
- Decrease the stigma associated with mental health
Follow the data
To tackle a problem, you must first accurately identify the issue. Leveraging MMA’s Planning and Analytics for Total Health (PATH) team, we identified behavioral health conditions as Wake County’s most prevalent chronic condition, affecting nearly 25% of their total membership—more than diabetes and high blood pressure combined. Additionally, the spend per member per month was rivaling costly chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
On average, people experiencing a behavioral health disorder wait on average more than a decade before seeking treatment. Social stigma and a lack of access contribute greatly to this delay in care. And finally, North Carolina “…ranks last in the nation for access to quality behavioral health care, with about two out of five North Carolinians living in an area with no access to mental health professionals.”
With the prevalence of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, suicidality, and other behavioral health conditions rising, Wake County chose to act.
Increase access to wellness resources
For their first responder population who faces a unique set of stressors and trauma on the job, Wake County chose to provide a dedicated Licensed Psychologist to be on call for their Sherriff’s Department, Emergency Medical Services team, and Fire Department. This resource offers counseling, training, and critical incident response. Additionally, Wake County partners with the North Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program (NC-LEAP) to provide peer support to officers and other first responders who have been involved in critical incidents.
For their broader population, Wake County employs a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) onsite full-time for counseling. They also offer mental health education through their worksite clinic vendor partner, tele-behavioral health services at low or no cost, and a suite of behavioral health apps and resources through their medical carrier. Their robust employee assistance program (EAP) is heavily promoted and includes work/life support.
Decrease the stigma associated with mental health
To combat negative perceptions employees may have with the term ‘employee assistance program’, Wake County rebranded their EAP to myS.E.L.F. Network, which stands for Social, Emotional, Legal, and Financial. This rebranding not only eliminates potential negative connotations, but also highlights the wide variety of supports that are available through this resource.
Wake County provides managers with Mental Health First Aid training, which is an evidence-based, early-intervention course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use challenges. They also provide a guide to help managers support their employees’ mental health. The guide includes Mental Health First Aid principles on approaching someone who may need care, listening non-judgmentally, and a list of emergency and non-emergency mental health resources tailored to employees’ needs.
Additionally, there is a promotional video on the employee wellness homepage that features three of Wake County’s Deputy County Managers highlighting the benefits available to them, including a special call-out of myS.E.L.F. Network. Having visible, vocal leaders in the organization advocate that employees take advantage well-being resources can inspire and positively influence employee health and engagement. On top of this, the County continuously educates on mental health via communication campaigns and educational seminars.
One of Wake County’s most recent seminars was a mental health panelist event. In partnership with their Marsh McLennan Agency, (MMA) Health Management Consultant, the County has hosted two virtual panelist events with behavioral health practitioners, representing their EAP (myS.E.L.F. Network), medical carrier, and worksite clinic partner. Employees submitted behavioral health-related questions anonymously, covering various topics such as stress management, relationship challenges, substance use disorders, and finding the right counselor. Since hosting these events, use of the County’s onsite LCSW has steadily increased prompting Wake County to add a second onsite LCSW.
How can you help your workforce to thrive?
The needs of your workforce could continuously evolve, and employees today may expect more than a standard benefits plan from their employer. Marsh McLennan Agency can assist you in creating a multi-faceted, holistic well-being program. We offer a data-driven approach that gets results. For a consultation with one of our well-being specialists on how we could help your organization, please reach out today.
Additionally, we have several self-service tools available at your fingertips! Please visit our Mental Health Playbook for help with creating, enhancing, or refining your mental health strategy, and for more information on well-being solutions, we’d encourage you to visit our Dimensions of Well-being page.
