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4As: Ensure ACCESS to Treatment

Learn about strategies for supporting worker mental health and well-being through access to treatment.

Learning Center / Workplace Mental Health Toolkit / Create a Mental Health-Friendly Workplace

A key component to workplace mental wellness is ensuring access to behavioral/mental health treatment. In its “Working Well Toolkit" (PDF), the Center for Workplace Mental Health presents a number of promising practices for strengthening access to mental health treatment. 

If your organization offers a health care plan, step one is to assess the specific mental health benefits that it covers, including treatment for substance use disorders. The Center advises asking the questions in the checklist below.

Checklist for Evaluating Health Care Plan's Support for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders:

  • Does the plan regularly provide information about mental health issues and substance use disorders?
  • Does the plan provide access to valid mental health or substance use disorder screening tools?
  • Does the plan give employees easy access to mental health and substance use disorder support and care, e.g., an employee assistance program (EAP)?
  • Does the plan provide high quality outpatient and inpatient coverage for treatment of mental health conditions or substance use disorders?
  • Does the plan provide easily understood descriptions of how to access treatment for mental health conditions or substance use disorders?
  • Does the plan provide appropriate access to outpatient care and a broad continuum of services, settings, and providers?
  • Does the plan cover effective prescription medications for mental health conditions or substance use disorders at a level that encourages their appropriate use?
  • Does the plan encourage mental health and stress management through a comprehensive wellness and health promotion program?
  • Does the plan provide training to managers in conflict resolution and management skills to reduce excessive workplace stress?
  • Does the plan provide training in identifying job performance problems related to mental health issues or substance use disorders?
  • Does the plan track disability claims for mental health conditions and substance use disorders and provide case management services to facilitate timely return to work?
  • Does the plan comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act?

Assessing your plan’s coverage for treatment of mental health conditions and substance use disorders is also one way employers can support current local, state, and federal efforts to address the nation’s opioid crisis, by helping not only currently impacted employees, but also those rejoining the workforce who may need ongoing access to treatment and recovery support.

If your organization does not currently offer a health care plan, the first step is to consider whether it may be feasible to do so. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor expanded access to affordable health coverage options for America’s small businesses and their employees through Association Health Plans. These plans allow small businesses to band together by geography or industry to obtain health care coverage as if they were a single large employer, resulting in better negotiating power with providers and greater economies of scale.

Other Tools and Strategies

Organizations that do not offer a health care plan(s) can still take steps to increase employees’ access to treatment, for example, by providing the scheduling flexibility they may need to attend therapy sessions or receive other types of care. Employers can also offer their workers access to tools to help them assess their well-being and screen for mental health risks, such as: 

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Mental Health Employer Cost Calculator

National Safety Council

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Substance Use Employer Cost Calculator

National Safety Council

Mental Health Online Screening Tools: Mental Health America (MHA) offers a variety of free, anonymous, confidential, and validated online screening tools to help people understand and learn about their mental health. Topics addressed include depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorders, among others.

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