COLUMBUS, Ohio (WDTN) – Three organizations in Ohio are joining forces to address the growing mental health crisis by teaching employers how to address their employee’s needs.
The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, Ohio Chamber of Commerce and Cardinal Health partnered to create the Employer Mental Health Toolkit.
According to the toolkit, employees struggling with anxiety or depression can lead to five missed days of work and 15 lost days of productivity per quarter.
The idea came about after the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation kept hearing from employers, asking what to do because more employees are struggling with their mental health.
“Nobody wants to fail, so how do we make people successful? How do we make sure that folks have the tools and the resources they need so they can not only do the best job, but that they can be the best parents and the best friends that they can be in their community,” Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation Executive Director Tony Coder said.
In the toolkit, employers can find data on the impact of mental health in the workplace, a checklist to follow to make sure they are meeting their staff’s needs, and other resources they may not have known about like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
All members of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce received the toolkit when it launched around three weeks ago.
As Ohio’s economy is growing, Chamber CEO Steve Stivers said mental health support is needed to make a business successful.
“It’s great to be able to give them resources to take care of their employees better,” Stivers said. “It’s very fulfilling to be able to be part of something that’s going to help people live better lives and have better outcomes.”
Since launching three weeks ago, Coder said at least 400 Ohio employers have adopted the toolkit in their workplace.
For more information about the mental health toolkit, click here.
