On October 20-21, 2016, the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Hopkins), with support from The Luv u Project, hosted the “Mental Health in the Workplace: A Public Health Summit” (Summit). The Summit gathered researchers, industry and government leaders, journalists, and practitioners in public mental health to identify workplace health promotion practices that are effective and determine where the evidence is insufficient.
A key aim of the Summit was to highlight practical next steps that lead to action with the aim of improving mental health in the workplace and to begin the establishment of a Center of Excellence (COE) in research, practice, and policy. An Advisory Council was formed to brainstorm and provide guidance on several action steps that would move the needle forward in such areas as applied research, dissemination of best practices, workplace training, tools development and establishment of policy priorities for the nation.
To build upon the momentum gained from the Summit, over the next several months, through July 2017, our initiative will focus on the following activities:
- Documenting the Proceedings and Developing a Plan of Action
- Describes the history and impetus for the Luv u Project; details key highlights of the Summit; reviews key discussion topics from the Advisory Council meeting that followed the Summit; and concludes with a “call-to-action”.
- Preparing a Scientific Paper for Publication
- Describes the scope of mental health challenges facing employers and the potential for public-private partnerships to address those challenges and serves as a “call-to-action” in several areas related to project initiatives decided upon by the Advisory Council, The Luv u Project, and Johns Hopkins.
- Prioritizing Proposed Action Items
- Nine potential action steps identified from the Summit are being outlined in detail regarding rationale, tasks, deliverables and timelines which will be shared with the Advisory Council for prioritization based on potential impact, feasibility and fit with The Luv u Project’s mission.
- Proposed action steps include creating mental health in the workplace resources, education services, tools, and recognition programs.
- Holding a Follow-up Advisory Council Meeting
- The Advisory Council will provide its expertise in further refining the proposed action items.
- Formalizing Project Proposals and Immediate Actions
- Detailed project proposals will be prepared for the top 1-3 high priority action steps for formal approval and collaboration regarding funding.
Project Staff
Rich Mattingly, Founder and President, The Luv u Project.
Ron Goetzel, PhD, Director, Institute for Health and Productivity Studies
Danielle Fallin, PhD, Chair, Department of Mental Health
Bill Eaton, PhD, Professor, Department of Mental Health
Enid Chung Roemer, PhD, Deputy Director, Institute for Health and Productivity Studies
Calliope Holingue, Doctoral Student, Department of Mental Health
Advisory Council
Jacqueline Agnew, PhD – Professor, Environmental Health Sciences and Director of the Center for Occupational Health, Johns Hopkins University
Francisca Azocar, PhD – Vice President of Research and Evaluation of Behavioral Health Sciences at OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions formerly United Behavioral Health
David Ballard, PsyD – Assistant Executive Director for Organizational Excellence at the American Psychological Association
Michael Braga – Investigations editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, winner of a 2016 Pulitzer Prize and Carolyn C. Mattingly Award for Mental Health reporting
Andrew Crighton, MD – Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Prudential Financial Inc.
Richard Frank, PhD – Margaret T. Morris Professor of Health Economics, Harvard University and Former Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services
LuAnn Heinen – Vice President, Workforce Well-being, Productivity & Human Capital, National Business Group on Health
Kim Jinnett, PhD – Executive Vice President, Integrated Benefits Institute
Debra Keller-Greene – CEO and Founder of Keller Professional Services, Inc. (KPS)
Bob Meyers – President Emeritus, National Press Foundation
Sara Martin Rauch, MS – Director of Strategy and Planning, WELCOA
Pamela Rich – Manager, Institute on Innovation in Workforce Well-being at the National Business Group on Health
Richard Safeer, MD – Medical Director, Employee Health & Wellness, Johns Hopkins HealthCare, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
Dick Saporito – Senior Vice President of Human Resources, PC Connection
Anita Schill, PhD – Senior Science Advisor, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Joshua Sharfstein, MD – Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Training, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
David Shern, PhD – Senior Science Advisor, Mental Health America
Victor Strecher, PhD – Professor and Director for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, University of Michigan School of Public Health
Peter Wald, MD – Enterprise Medical Director, USAA
Philip Wang, MD, DrPH – Director of Research, American Psychiatric Association