(INDIANAPOLIS) — The physical and financial pains of COVID-19 are evident. What may be less clear are some of the mental health impacts. The 2020 Indiana Wellness Summit is raising awareness of employee mental health and will provide organizations with best practices for the challenges their workforce may be facing at this time.
The summit – held as a virtual conference on September 10-11 – is presented by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Wellness Council of Indiana (WCI).
“Employers seeking to improve the mental health of their employees has been a rising trend over the last several years, but there is no question it has become even more important due to the amount of isolation and stress that the current pandemic has added to people’s lives,” says Jennifer Pferrer, WCI executive director.
“Those mental health impacts can range from loneliness and fear to anxiety and depression – and cannot be overlooked. An organization that takes a strategic approach to its overall mental fitness will see a variety of benefits.”
While mental health is the centerpiece of this year’s program, says Pferrer, other key topics include using data to make informed program decisions, work-life balance and resiliency, plus chronic disease management.
Additional agenda items involve wellness considerations for small employers (less than 50 employees), around-the-clock behavioral health/addiction care and a panel on the social determinants of health.
All education sessions feature live chats with the presenters. There is no limit to the number a person can attend and more than 20 recorded sessions will be available through the end of the year.
The live streamed keynote presentations are: Mental Health 2.0 (Dr. Drew Ramsey, psychiatrist, author, farmer and National Kale Day founder); Recognizing Unmet Social Needs at Work: A No-Wrong-Door Approach to Healthy Communities (Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Secretary, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration); and WILD Wellbeing (Chris Heeter, The WILD Institute).
Networking is still an integral component with many interactive opportunities with sponsors and exhibitors through the virtual expo, plus a virtual café connects attendees.
Cost for the full summit is $399 for Indiana Chamber or WCI members; $499 for non-members. Register online at indianawellnesssummit.com or call (800) 824-6855.
Willis Towers Watson is the summit gold sponsor: Silver sponsors are Complete Wellness Solutions; Indiana University Health; Precision Wellness from LifeOmic; Rx Help Centers, LLC; and WellRight.
Additional sponsorships are available. Contact Jennifer Pferrer at jpferrer@indianachamber.com or (317) 264-2168 for more information.
