Adding Perspective to Employee Mental Wellness: A Population Health and Psychoeducational Approach to Screening and Care Connection

PurposeDescribe the <i>Perspectives of Psychiatry</i> approach and how it was integrated into an employer-based mental health engagement program.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingWorkplace-based.Sample913 employees.InterventionThe Johns Hopkins Balance program is a novel, employer-initiated mental health engagement program. The Balance program integrates the <i>Perspectives of Psychiatry (Perspectives)</i> ideology for mental health care and takes a population health and psychoeducational approach to screening and care connection.MeasuresUtilization and engagement rates, algorithm-based mental health symptom risk, <i>Perspectives</i>-based risk.AnalysisChi squared tests for risk categorization associations, odds ratio high risk categorization, frequency and percentage of referral types.Results94% (860/913) of participants who registered completed the Balance assessment and 14% (130/913) completed a care concierge visit. Referrals were placed for 69% (90/130) of employees who completed a care concierge visit. A person identified as high risk by the standardized assessments had 6.74 (4.38, 10.71) times the odds of endorsing a concern on at least one of the <i>Perspectives</i>. An additional 28 participants were identified as high risk based on their own concern after scoring low risk on the standardized assessment. Of the 117 referrals placed, 96.6% (113/117) were in individuals scoring high risk on the assessment.ConclusionA population health and psychoeducational approach to employer-based mental health engagement can successfully identify risk and connect employees to care.