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November 26, 2019

Health officials to business community: An ounce of prevention

PHOTO | New Haven Biz  L-r: Coleman-Mitchell; Andrew Mais, commissioner of the Department of Insurance; Veltri; Delphin-Rittmon; Kate McEvoy, director of the Division of Health Services with the Connecticut Department of Social Services; and Levin Becker.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Having a healthy workforce is key to corporate financial well-being, because physically fit and happy workers are productive workers.

That was an underlying theme of a Thursday panel discussion featuring state health leaders. The discussion was among several events at the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Big Connect business expo at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale.

Moderator Arielle Levin Becker, communications director with the Connecticut Health Foundation, said the cost of health care is a top concern among employers.

Renee Coleman-Mitchell, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said, “If you are an employer, you want to have productivity.”

So what can employers do to make sure employees are productive? According to Coleman-Mitchell, employers’ goal should be to keep their workers “happy, healthy and safe.”

Prevention, according to Coleman-Mitchell, is key.

“The goal is to always prevent before [a health issue] happens,” she said. “It will cost you less, with less absenteeism, if you address the physical and mental health of your employees.” 

“You need to be able to make an investment to address physical and mental health,” she added.

Employers can have health-related incentives and activities for their employees as preventive measures, she noted.

Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, commissioner of the state’s Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, echoed these ideas.

She suggested that employers offer an employee assistance program (EAP) and let workers know what services are available and how to access them. An EAP typically offers free and confidential assessments, counseling, referrals and other services to employees who are having personal or work-related problems, ranging from substance abuse to overwhelming stress to grief.

Delphin-Rittmon cautioned employers to reduce any stigma surrounding mental-health issues and to have a “recovery-friendly workplace strategy.” If there is any stigma, employees might not seek the care and assistance they need, she said. She recommended that employers invite lunchtime speakers to talk about mental-health issues with employees, and have 12-step addiction recovery meetings on site during lunch and after hours.

Victoria Veltri, executive director of the state’s Office of Health Strategy, said health-care costs are rising. 

She also stressed the importance of finding strategies to prevent medical conditions from occurring, so there is less need to spend as much on health care.

“Health care is an expense for employers but also an investment,” she said. 

Veltri noted that workers compensation can be a large expense for employers, so “keeping workers healthy is critical.”

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.

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