Need Help Addressing Mental Health, DEI and SDOH?

The following article was originally posted on the?Mercer US Health News blog .?You can find this article along with more health news content?here .

By?Steven Noeldner, Well-being Vertical Leader

To help employers recognize opportunities to improve their support for workforce mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social determinants of health (SDOH) – and to provide them with practical, evidence-based guidance – the?HERO Health & Well-being Best Practices Scorecard ?in Collaboration with Mercer? (HERO Scorecard) now includes additional best practice scores in these three areas. Best of all, it is free. Read on!

Providing employees with greater access to behavioral healthcare remains a major priority for most employers, according to Mercer’s just-released?National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans . We know that mental health issues are often complicated by influences from negative SDOH – when people are challenged to meet basic needs for healthy food, good quality air and water, transportation, housing, and safe neighborhoods. And negative SDOH are often more prevalent and magnified for marginalized populations that employers aim to support with their DEI efforts.

Many employers offer a wide array of health and well-being programs and services to support their employees and members. People who are living with scarcity and disadvantages are less likely to participate in employer-sponsored well-being activities, often because they have limited capacity to focus on their own health when they are taking care of others, struggling to get food on the table, having transportation challenges, or living in unsafe neighborhoods. Recognizing and providing support for some of these SDOH issues can help free up the time and energy for employees to take actions for their own health and well-being.

Employers can complete the current version 5 of the HERO Scorecard and receive separate scores in these three sub-categories compared to national averages as well as their overall score. (Additional benchmark comparisons for industry type, employer size and geography are available to employers working with a Mercer consultant.) Completing the HERO Scorecard is free, and the scoring report is provided automatically by email after submission.

Employers have found it helpful to see how their efforts around mental health, SDOH and DEI compare to those of other employers, and have used this information – and the comprehensive checklist of best practices that is the core of the HERO Scorecard – to develop a strategy and action plan for these important areas. Understanding your opportunities and exploring evidence-based best practices to address them are the first steps in better supporting employees and members to improve their mental and physical health and well-being. If you haven’t recently completed the?HERO Scorecard , now would be a great time to do so. Check out this?webinar ?to learn more about the HERO Scorecard, the new scoring categories and how to use them for your organization.