A recent study found that depression, by nearly 2:1 over the next highest-rated medical condition among their employees, topped a list of corporate costs.
The study found that 4.3 percent of workers suffered from depression with a cost of more than $25,000 per worker, which is more than double the second most prevalent condition of stomach/bowel disorders (about $13,000 per worker). Depression-related corporate costs were also more than double the $12,000 corporate per worker cost of diabetes.
The Atlanta Business Leaders Initiative (ABLI) is a coalition of community organizations operating since 2003 to improve the health and well-being of people working and living in Atlanta. The coalition’s recent efforts have focused on assisting Atlanta-based employers to raise awareness about the business impact of mental illness and substance abuse, and to reduce the stigma associated with obtaining treatment for these behavioral illnesses.
In 2007, ABLI partnered with the National Business Group on Health (Business Group) to establish a pilot project, which would assist local employers assess the design and administrative performance of their mental health plan benefits.
The project’s approach is based on the Business Group’s 2005 publication: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, A roadmap and recommendations for evaluating, designing and implementing behavioral health services.
The goal of the ABLI is to make Atlanta a model community of corporate investment in voluntarily improving the quality of care for depression and other mental health services. The ideal outcome of this work is to establish Atlanta as a national model of best practices to remove stigmas, end discrimination and improve education, access and quality of care for those suffering from any behavioral or mental illness.
If you are a corporate executive interested in partnering with the ABLI, please contact Sarah Schwartz, Executive Director, at 678-904-1970 or
sarah@mhageorgia.org.
