Thanks for subscribing!
You will now receive future content from Lyra Health.
At Lyra, we are proud to partner with benefits leaders who think boldly and prioritize the mental health care of their employees by visibly and meaningfully integrating mental health into their broader company strategy. This summer, we had the privilege of speaking with Adam Pace, executive director of health and wellness at Belmont University, about Belmont’s partnership with Lyra, his work to normalize and advocate for mental health support, and the value of offering a mental health benefit.
What drew you to become a benefits leader?
I was drawn to leadership in this space because I saw an opportunity to make a broader impact on the health of our community. The leaders, the champions, the teachers, and the problem solvers, all need to know how to take care of themselves and others.
What are you most proud of in your work at Belmont?
I’m incredibly proud of our implementation of Lyra for our faculty and staff. That’s been one of our key achievements in integrating mental health resources into the life of our campus and integrating that into our overall wellness strategy. Lyra has been a fantastic addition and a great partner in that, making it so much easier for our employees to seek help and support.
Can you share a success story from your partnership with Lyra?
One of my own children has actually been able to connect to a therapist through Lyra. So for me, personally, the most valuable success story is how helpful it has been, especially given that connecting younger people with therapists in a timely manner is difficult. Lyra made that very easy. But I’ve also had several employees approach me to express how Lyra helped them, sometimes with tears in their eyes. Lowering that barrier to care and giving them easy access to the therapists and coaches through Lyra has helped them. They might not have been able to do that or may not have been able to take time out of their schedule to find care without this resource. That has been transformational for their mental health journeys as well.
What’s the next big thing you are working on?
We are in the planning stages of launching a mental health storytelling initiative that will include testimonials from students, faculty, and staff to help normalize helpful discussions around their mental health. This was inspired by a session at Lyra’s Breakthrough Conference from this past year that talked about the importance of mental health storytelling for the health of your organization. I think Belmont is in a unique place—or, any higher education institution is in a place —where you can include not only the stories of your employees but also stories from the students. This can help normalize this for the whole community and to give people hope that whatever mental health challenges they’re facing can be overcome.
Why should other benefits leaders consider adopting mental health benefits?
There is a return on what you invest in helping your people with their mental health. A mentally healthy workforce is more productive, engaged, and loyal. By prioritizing mental health, you can create a positive and supportive work environment that can lead to better overall outcomes for your organization, as well as for your employees and their lives.
