The Wright Center Joins CEOs Against Stigma Campaign

To promote the well-being of its employees, The Wright Center announces it will participate in an initiative that seeks to shatter stigma in the workplace surrounding mental health issues and encourages the timely treatment of conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, has joined the CEOs Against Stigma campaign – a project of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)’s state organization to prioritize mental health in the workplace.

The Wright Center’s executive team will follow the campaign’s guidance, using a six-step toolkit to closely examine and address factors commonly associated with employee depression, anxiety and burnout.

This new collaboration with NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania – the official state organization of the NAMI – is part of The Wright Center’s ongoing effort to become an optimal employer as well as to respond to the increased mental health challenges resulting from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

“This partnership will help us more effectively understand and address the whole-person health needs of our employees and also the patients, families and communities we are privileged to serve,” Thomas-Hemak said.

Owen Dougherty, The Wright Center for Community Health’s recovery supports manager and behavioral health community liaison, will help to implement the campaign across the organization’s multiple sites and departments. Dougherty has served as president of NAMI’s Northeast Region Pennsylvania chapter.

“We are confident that our engagement in this initiative will empower our executive team, providers, staff, residents and fellows to be better equipped and proactive in optimizing their personal well-being, interpersonal and cross-departmental relationships, and the care we provide to patients and families,” Thomas-Hemak said.

Depression is a leading cause of disability, costing the U.S. economy an estimated $210.5 billion per year in medical costs, absenteeism and lost productivity, according to NAMI. During any given year, one in five workers will experience some form of mental illness, such as depression or anxiety. Many of those people won’t seek treatment because of stigma. Others simply won’t know where to turn.

The CEOs Against Stigma campaign seeks to correct those system failures so that workers and their families don’t suffer in silence. The Wright Center’s participation in the campaign is one of a number of steps the health center is taking across its primary care practices and training sites to strengthen employee resiliency and job satisfaction.