Lions don’t dream of hunting, they just hunt. You may be asking yourself, “What in the world does this have to do with benefits and mental health?”

We’re hearing more and more in benefit surveys, headlines in the news, and feedback from employees that people want more resources for mental health. As an industry, we push employee assistance programs (EAPs) — a service that hasn’t changed its model in 20 years. How many other things in society today have stayed the same for 20 years and continued to meet our needs? It’s time for change. It’s time to be a lion.

We recently developed a new entity called Responder Health that addresses the unique needs of first responders and their mental health. We aren’t even calling it an EAP. It’s a First Responder Support Program. It focuses on intervention, prevention, and wellness. Think about how we design and implement solutions in our medical plans. We provide resources in each of these three key areas. Why should mental health be any different?

Although Responder Health is designed to assist first responders, it has elements that can be applied to all industries and companies. It includes best practices like training a peer support team; covering an annual mental health visit at 100 percent; local counseling; access to best-in-class, in-patient treatment facilities; family, marital, and financial counseling; and online access to resources and videos that help teach individuals to improve their overall brain health.

The time is now to be a lion. Don’t just dream of creating a better mental health plan for your employees. Go out and do it!

If you would like more information on Responder Health or how to create a mental health program, please reach out to me or your Holmes Murphy contact. At Holmes Murphy, we’re Thinking Ahead so Tomorrow is Better Than Yesterday!