YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY

Springfield, MO

Log in Subscribe

Employers responding to mental health service shortages

Posted online

Increasingly, behavioral health professionals in the Springfield area are booked solid weeks in advance. That’s not just a local trend, said Brandan Gremminger, vice president of outpatient and access services at Burrell Behavioral Health.

“There has been an increase in demand nationally,” he said.

While it can take longer to see a provider, Gremminger said there is a hidden upside.

“It’s a good problem to have,” he said. “It means more people are pursuing the help that they need and hopefully waiting less time to pursue that help.”

In research released in September 2021, the Kaiser Family Foundation identified the nation’s mental health care professional shortage areas, and Missouri was fourth on the list, after California, Texas and Alaska. Missouri has 250 areas designated as having mental health professional shortages, with an underserved population of 1.8 million. In the identified areas, only 5.9% of the current need is being met, and 140 new practitioners would be required to cover the need.

Employee assistance
Many businesses are trying to address the needs of employees and their family members for behavioral health services by providing employee assistance programs.

An EAP is defined by the Society for Human Resource Management as “a work-based intervention program designed to assist employees in resolving personal problems that may be affecting the employee’s performance.” Employers typically cover the cost of attendance at a fixed number of therapy sessions, and these can be the first overture someone makes into the behavioral health realm.

In its 2021 Employer Health Benefits Survey, released in November, Kaiser Family Foundation found 16% of companies employing 50 or more people added new means for employees to receive mental health or substance abuse services.

A 2021 Future of Benefits study by insurance firm The Hartford found 70% of employers surveyed saw an increase in the use of their EAP. The study also found employees feel more comfortable talking about mental health challenges than they had in years past. More employers also reported they were promoting the use of their EAPs in the previous year as part of a focus on work-life balance that included plans to extend paid time off benefits, The Hartford study found.

The reason for the increase may seem obvious. A study by C. Darren Brooks and Jeff Ling published in a 2020 issue of the Journal of Insurance Regulation found employees were experiencing a higher level of mental health issues as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re seeing many more individuals come in to seek care than we have seen in recent years,” Gremminger said.

The pandemic brought pressures and worries that many were not used to – situations like having to learn work-from-home technology while also leading children through school assignments, all within a climate of fear of a deadly virus.

Maybe shared societal trauma helped to instill a sense that it was OK to seek outside help.

“We’ve seen the stigma drop,” Gremminger said. “There’s more acceptance in the culture, more positive stories in the media and a greater demand for services.”

Practitioners’ views
Psychologist Gary June, one of Burrell’s EAP providers, said the existence of EAP programs helps employees find the care they need.

“It helps when employers let them know that for any issue they have going on, they have this valuable resource,” he said.

Debbie Walker, also a Burrell psychologist, said EAPs are a valuable resource for employees, but they also serve a broader good.

“It seems to make more business sense as well,” she said. “Healthier workers are more productive, and it helps with retention, too.”

Burrell psychologist Michelle Whitmire agreed.

“If workers are not healthy, they’re not coming to work – not doing their job,” she said, noting a special concern for teachers and the pressures they faced during the pandemic. “There was a lot of stuff to be thrown at them.”

Typically, a workplace with an EAP benefit covers the cost of a certain number of sessions with a behavioral health provider – historically three. Gremminger said as businesses start to see the benefits of EAP programs, often they’re expanded to offer 10 sessions or more.

“Human beings are so diverse,” Gremminger said. “Three sessions might be plenty for a lot of individuals with a well-trained provider, but it might not be enough for other individuals.”

He noted if a person hasn’t achieved the goals or the level of wellness they desired in the number of sessions allotted, the expectation would be that they would receive recommendations for a continuation of their care.

Employer’s role
According to Gremminger, it is in the best interest of employers who offer EAP programs to talk about them frequently. He noted a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 21% of employees with EAP programs did not use them because they were not aware of them.

“That’s pretty telling in terms of a call to action and responsibility and obligation for an employer,” he said. “If they’re going to make an investment, they need to make sure there’s regular communication.”

Gremminger said the responsibility falls on the company to educate employees about the benefit.

“They need to empower their employees to be aware of what the EAP benefits are and speak up for themselves if they feel they need referrals,” he said.

The time to start is now, according to Gremminger, who cited National Alliance on Mental Illness statistics that show the average delay between the onset of mental health symptoms and their treatment is 11 years.

“I point that out because that is something we hope to change and drive down as we normalize behavioral health treatment,” he said.

“Suffice it to say, if we can get someone in for that first session, regardless of how long they’ve waited and for whatever reasons, we now have an opportunity to engage them.”

Comments

No comments on this story |
Please log in to add your comment
Editors' Pick
From the Ground Up: Republic Intermediate School

The Republic School District is on track to open its Intermediate School for fifth- and sixth-grade students for the 2025-26 academic year.

Most Read
Update cookies preferences