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On the Public Health team at the Milken Institute, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with organizations across nonprofits, industry, academia, and government. Our work with employers is one component of our larger approach and continues to grow and deepen each year. We continue to see how employers are evolving their strategies and defining their roles to advance public health priorities as they transform to meet the demands of an ever-changing world. Today, employers are thinking upstream, anticipating the needs of the five generations currently at work and those who will soon join them.
Employers have the potential to be a trusted source and impactful member of their local communities and play a far-reaching and critical role in advancing public health, both within their employee community and externally in the geographic areas where they operate. This sense of community and engagement at work is a protective layer that enables a sense of belonging and combats the epidemic of isolation and loneliness recognized by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last year. Workplace engagement also has the potential to lead to healthier lifestyles and increased performance at work.
Organizational leaders increasingly recognize the importance of—and investing in—human capital holistically, taking into account the multiple facets of employees’ lives through adopting a whole-person approach to health. (For an illustration of the components of whole-person health, refer to page three of our Racial Equity and Mental Health in the Workplace action brief.) Employers have the unique opportunity to proactively shape culture and implement internal programs and policies while modeling behaviors that address health inequities, advance prevention and management of chronic diseases, and destigmatize the prioritization of mental health. The effects of culture, support systems, policies, and programs extend beyond organizations’ employee populations by advancing the health of their families and, by extension, their respective communities.
Public Health at the Institute has created a robust portfolio of research and insights that can be turned into scalable action and meet employers where they are. The examples below demonstrate and raise awareness of the critical role employers play in prioritizing public health measures and investments:
- Actions employers can take to address the mental health impacts of racial inequity and illustrate ways to close the gaps between mental health resources and employee access.
- Best practices and priorities of over 85 organizations that participated in a 14-month-long employer project with Leidos that captured ways to address the concurrent addiction and mental health crises.
- Steps to bolster the pharmaceutical supply chain so it is more resilient and equitable to advance public health.
- Ways to support employees who are caregivers to youth with mental health conditions, the importance of inclusion and belonging, and NextGen mental health concerns identified in our work with The Hartford.
- Insights on how to advance health equity via numerous sessions at our Global Conference and Future of Health Summit and blog posts like Health Equity Is Not Health Equality.
- An ongoing Executive Insight Series featuring thought leadership from employers on how to adopt a whole-person approach to health that recognizes the value of equally prioritizing physical, mental, social, and financial well-being for employees and their surrounding communities. Read a recent interview from this series.
I am energized by the intentionality, expertise, and care demonstrated by our team and advisors. This will carry through to our public health priorities, whether related to social impact, health equity, whole-person health, innovation in treatments for substance use disorders, addressing obesity as a chronic disease, or examining the role of employers in driving better health through employer-sponsored health insurance. Our collaborative approach, representative of public health, with employers as key stakeholders, will have a far-reaching impact and help communities achieve better whole-health outcomes through trustworthy, sustainable, and scalable systems and solutions. As we face each new challenge, it will be all the more critical for employers to remain a trusted source of public health information, resources, and collaborative action.
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