Atrium Health: Building Strong Communities With Mental Health First Aid

This case study was first developed in 2019; the data reflects that timeline.

With more than 15 million annual patient interactions, 1,400 care locations and 70,000 employees, Atrium Health knows that health extends beyond hospital walls. As one of the largest hospital systems in the Southeast, Atrium Health recognized that improving community health requires addressing mental health and substance use challenges at the population level.

In 2014, the organization invested in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, equipping employees, partners and community members with the skills to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, start supportive conversations and connect people to care.

The results were significant. Within three years, Atrium Health surpassed its goal of training 10,000 Mental Health First Aiders. Within five years, more than 15,000 individuals were trained.

By embedding MHFA into its broader population health strategy, Atrium Health demonstrates how health systems can drive measurable community impact.

Train Your Team Today!

Investing in Mental Health for Community and Business

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 curreLynn Hennighausen led the MHFA initiative for Atrium Health. She said MHFA was an investment that fit into Atrium Health’s overall commitment to mental wellbeing. Community assessments highlighted mental health and substance use disorders as priorities across the communities Atrium Health serves.

MHFA’s flexibility made it the right choice. 

For health systems, quality of care is a priority. Hennighausen pointed out how the co-occurrence of chronic disease and mental health issues is not only common but also leads to higher costs overall.

“The research shows that while diabetes may cost a certain amount over a lifetime, a co-occurring mental health diagnosis might triple that cost,” Hennighausen said.

Widespread MHFA training helps address those mental health conditions while bringing down cost of care.

Another priority for Atrium Health was pioneering a focus on population health ahead of value-based payment trends, said Martha Whitecotton, sr. vice president of behavioral health services.

“Our leadership team realizes that we will eventually own the risk for a population of people’s health,” Whitecotton said. “We know a population health strategy will fail if we don’t address mental health and physical health together.”

Choosing Mental Health First Aid

Atrium HeaIn 2012, John Santopietro, the chief clinical officer of behavioral health services, presented MHFA to the Community Benefit Team.

“MHFA provides value to the local community and an opportunity to leverage the current movement toward population health,” Santopietro said.

The Community Benefit Team found MHFA a compelling investment because of its wide evidence base. Research shows that:

• After taking MHFA, people feel more empowered to step in if they think someone might be experiencing a mental health challenge.
• MHFA makes people more aware of available mental health resources

This evidence, paired with a clear need for mental health offerings in the communities Atrium Health serves, led to the investment in MHFA.

 “I’m a fan of doing things that make sense, have structure and are evidence based,” Whitecotton said. “MHFA met all of these marks and was appealing to us from the start.”

Results of Mental Health First Aid

Atrium Health began with the goal of certifying 10,000 new Mental Health First Aiders, reaching that goal in just three years. Within five years, it had certified over 15,000 First Aiders.

A crucial part of its strategy was internally training more than 200 MHFA Instructors (80% of whom are employees), equipping and motivating Instructors to train teammates and community members.

First Aiders often share stories of MHFA in action, Hennighausen said. These stories are both an opportunity to connect and a call to action for other First Aiders to employ the skills they learned during training.

By providing MHFA training in local communities, Atrium Health has expanded partnerships with other key health-focused organizations. Working together to train more people in MHFA increases awareness around mental health challenges and local mental health resources.

While these community connections started organically and informally, they have led to more strategic and formalized partnerships focused on population health in the surrounding area. This includes a strong focus on improving the social and environmental factors that affect health and training key audiences such as the Mecklenburg County Health Department and the Charlotte Fire Department.

Health care is far from simple. MHFA is an important element in a more comprehensive approach that Atrium Health takes. “MHFA 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,” Hennighausen said. “Of three main concerns — access, affordability and stigma — MHFA gets to the heart of stigma.”

The Future Direction of Mental Health First Aid

After Atrium Health met its goal of training 10,000 First Aiders, it decided to set its sights higher. Community relations teams across the organization are building MHFA into their plans for the future. They have begun to create strategies for expansion into their markets and are creating relationships with 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,” Hennighausen said. “MHFA 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.”

Seeing the success MHFA has had in the community, the focus is also expanding to include more employees.

“We began MHFA as an initiative with our community partners,” Hennighausen said. “Then our teammates began to see the value and became interested. This has really grown in a way that no one expected.”