Atrium Health employs more than 70,000 people in more than 1,400 care locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. They have nearly 8,000 licensed beds and has almost 15 million patient interactions annually. Atrium Health started Mental Health First Aid training in 2014 and has trained 15,000 Mental Health First Aiders as of November 2019 in the communities they serve.
Lynn Hennighausen, who led the Mental Health First Aid initiative for Atrium Health at the time, says their investment in Mental Health First Aid was driven by three factors:
In addition to the community need, there was also a business imperative. Hennighausen acknowledged research showing the co-occurrence of chronic disease with mental health issues was not only common but led to higher costs.
“The research shows that while diabetes may cost a certain amount over a lifetime, a co-occurring mental health diagnosis might triple that cost.”
— Lynn Hennighausen
Martha Whitecotton, the Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health Services for Atrium Health at the time, also recognized a need for them to pioneer a focus on population health ahead of value-based payment trends.
“Our leadership team realizes that we will eventually own the risk for a population of people’s health. We know a population health strategy will fail if we don’t address mental health and physical health together.”
— Martha Whitecotton
Given these factors, in 2012, John Santopietro, the Chief Clinical Officer of Behavioral Health Services for Atrium Health at the time, presented Mental Health First Aid to the Community Benefit Team, citing the “value it provides to the local community and an opportunity to leverage the current movement toward population health.”
According to Hennighausen, Mental Health First Aid was compelling to the Community Benefit Team because research showed that:
This evidence, paired with a clear need for mental health offerings in the communities Atrium Health serves, led the Community Benefit Team to invest in Mental Health First Aid. Whitecotton summed up Mental Health First Aid’s value in saying, “I’m a fan of doing things that make sense, have structure and are evidence based. Mental Health First Aid met all of these marks and was appealing to us from the start.”
Atrium Health reached their goal of certifying 10,000 First Aiders in just three years, thanks in part to their strategy of training more than 200 Mental Health First Aid Instructors (80% of whom are employees) and equipping and motivating Instructors to train teammates and community members.
In addition to the impact of the sheer numbers trained, First Aiders’ individual anecdotes of how they have used the training are very compelling. Hennighausen noted,
“We hear from First Aiders frequently who have helped friends, colleagues, children and family members get connected to help. It’s very powerful. Atrium Health celebrates how First Aiders are willing to step in and ask someone, ‘Are you OK?’ ‘How can I help?’”
— Lynn Hennighausen
According to Hennighausen, Atrium Health has utilized the sharing of these stories as both additional opportunities to connect with First Aiders and a call to action for First Aiders to put the skills they learned during training into practice.
Atrium Health has also been able to expand partnerships with other key health-focused organizations by providing Mental Health First Aid training in local communities. Working together to train more people in Mental Health First Aid increases awareness around mental health challenges and mental health resources in their communities.
Henninghausen reinforced the idea that Mental Health First Aid is one element in a more comprehensive approach that the collaborative is taking:
“Mental Health First Aid is just one critical part of the very complex public health crisis we are faced with when it comes to mental illness and substance use disorders. Of three main concerns — access, affordability and stigma — Mental Health First Aid gets to the heart of stigma.”
— Lynn Hennighausen
While these connections started organically and informally, they have led to more strategic and formalized partnerships focused on population health in Mecklenburg County. This includes a strong focus on improving the social determinants of health and training key audiences such as the Mecklenburg County Health Department and the Charlotte Fire Department.
After Atrium met its goal of training 10,000 First Aiders, they decided to set its sights higher. Their community relations teams across its footprint are building Mental Health First Aid into their plans for the future. They have begun to create strategies for expansion into their markets and are working to leverage key partners, such as first responders, city and county governments, colleges, universities and the YMCA, to develop initiatives in specific communities.
“I would invest all over again. A significant part of the mission of our organization is to improve the health of the communities we serve. Mental Health First Aid is still the best, most effective, evidence-based program available to improve mental health literacy across a community. It has the reputation and evidence behind it to make it a worthwhile investment.”
— Martha Whitecotton
Seeing the success Mental Health First Aid has had in the community, the focus is also expanding to include more employees.
“We began Mental Health First Aid as an initiative with our community partners. Then our teammates began to see the value and became interested. This has really grown in a way that no one expected.”
— Lynn Hennighausen
Ready to make a difference in your community and organization? Train your team to become certified MHFA Instructors. When you host a private training, your team will gain the skills to recognize and respond to mental health challenges and teach these lifesaving skills.
