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The pandemic has been tough on everyone. On Dec. 8, Laura Sage, CEO and founder of Chill Anywhere, led a discussion with three experts about employees’ and patients’ increased need for mental and emotional health services by .

Growing demand for holistic healthcare — caring for a person’s total well-being — is leading to big changes in business. 

Employees coping with stress, burnout and other challenges need support. And they are open to new ideas: tele-medicine, coaching, mindfulness exercises, plus more traditional care by therapists and psychiatrists.

“Companies that are encouraging their workforce to go back to the office are seeing an increase in anxiety and stress. A lot of the workers are worried about their safety.”

—Laura Sage, CEO and founder, Chill Anywhere

“Stigma (surrounding mental health treatment) has been decreasing for the last couple of years, which is a major milestone. At the same time we’ve had the pandemic and the healthcare emergencies, which has accelerated people’s needs for care.”

—Tracy L. Davidson, Senior Vice President, Optum Behavioral Health

Businesses have a responsibility to support their employees’ mental health. It’s also to their advantage as managers and business owners.

“It is so important for your bottom line, because it will increase your productivity. it will increase your retention. it will decrease your healthcare and disability costs. … We’ve all heard about the Great Resignation. So many people are leaving professions. We can’t afford that.”

—Garvita Sethi, CEO and Executive Director, Accede Solutions

Managers are learning how to respond when employees are struggling. The right response from employers is to recognize the importance of holistic health

“The response to COVID-19 … is helpful to the movement we’re talking about today of holistic health: What is our collective responsibility to ensure emotional, physical, psychological safety, whether that’s in the workplace or for a patient experience.”

—Katherine Suberlak, Vice President of Clinical Services, Oak Street Health

“We now have businesses that have asked us to do a very different training for managers so they can identify and feel empowered and know what their tools are to help their employees.”

—Laura Sage, CEO and Founder, Chill Anywhere

“The key is going to be the change in culture. … People used to look at a job and  would say, ‘What’s my title? What’s my salary?’ Nobody is looking at just that anymore. People are looking at what’s my schedule gonna look like? What’s the culture of the place? Do I have any flexibility?”

—Garvita Sethi, CEO and Executive Director, Accede Solutions

One of the biggest changes in healthcare after Covid is the use of tele-medicine, including video or phone counseling. Where patients once needed to schedule visits to providers, they can get help from the home or office.

“About 50% of our outpatient claims today are on the virtual side. That’s a dramatic shift in a very short period of time. What that’s telling us is that people are embracing this change, and that tele-mental health services are here to stay.”

—Tracy L. Davidson, Senior Vice President, Optum Behavioral Health

“We started as a physical studio, and now we’re delivering everything virtually, and frankly, a broader breadth of mental wellness solutions than we did when we had a physical studio.”

—Laura Sage, CEO and Founder, Chill Anywhere

Ready for more?

Watch the full program on demand.

Holistic Healthcare in a New World

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