Get Ready for Mental Health Awareness Month
We’ve talked about the staggering cost of mental illness to our economy, estimated to cost Americans more than $300 billion annually. Consider the following statistics from 1N5.org:
Information detailing the cost of mental illness to American economy from 1N5.org.
Kentucky fares worse than other states. According to the Kentucky Hospital Association, over the past ten years, Kentucky has had an above-average rate of poor mental health as measured by the percentage of adults who report their mental health was not good for 14 or more days over the past month. The highest rate was reported in 2019, approximately 17.2 percent, and largely remained the same in 2020. Thereafter the rate declined by about one percentage point each year but remains higher than the national rate in 2022, 15.2 percent in Kentucky compared to 14.1 percent nationally (KHA Releases Report on Kentucky’s Persistent Mental Health Crisis - KYHA).
That’s why the NKY Works Employer Best Practices team is participating in Mental Health Awareness Month in May and encouraging employers to get involved as well. Here’s how:
Consider implementing an internal employee awareness campaign in May. Several organizations offer toolkits you can adapt for your organization. Consider this one from TiER1 Performance: Workforce Mental Health - TiER1 Performance. Mental Health America also provides resources here: Mental Health Month | Mental Health America
Attend our free QPR certification training on Friday, May 9, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM, at the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis that can save lives. QPR stands for Question, Persuade & Refer and is a nationally recognized suicide prevention training. We will talk more about the training in next week’s blog, but you can register for the session now here. (Please note: QPR training can be triggering for individuals who have experienced suicide personally. Professionals will be on hand to support all attendees as needed.)
Form a team and participate in the 14th Annual “Scurry for Mental Health” on Friday, May 16, in Covington. It’s a day packed with events to raise funds for the Linder Center for HOPE, the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky (CHNK) Behavioral Health, and the Children’s Hospital Adapt for Life Program. Learn more here: The Scurry - TiER1 Performance.
Watch for our weekly social media posts throughout May on our LinkedIn page (LinkedIn.com/company/NKYWorks) and share them on your own social media accounts.
Mental health is one of many workforce challenges facing businesses. If your company is struggling from the effects of workforce mental illness or other problems, NKY Works can help. We can connect you to resources to address your specific challenges. To learn more about the NKY Works Employer Best Practices Team, contact us at your convenience: Call 859.657.WRKS (9757) or email NKYWorks@NKADD.org.