Katie H. Anderson, Community Health Promotion Specialist II, East and North Central Regions

On October 2, 2019, Ignite Wellness San Diego hosted a “Thriving @ Work: Mental Health in the Workplace” forum that brought more than 70 local human resource and wellness professionals together to discuss and learn about tools and resources available to help employees navigate mental health at work.

The forum was a collaborative effort of Ignite Wellness San Diego, a local coalition of organizations, including WestPac Wealth Partners, homePERQs and UC San Diego Center for Community Health, that provides events and workshops to wellness professionals on a variety of topics to support employee health. Their goal is to create dynamic events that provide fresh, new content, while also fostering networking opportunities. Attendees were given the tools and resources to feel empowered to talk about mental health at work.

Natasha Krol, Mind Share Partners’ workplace training and strategic advisor, facilitated a lively discussion on creative solutions for how attendees can talk about mental health in the workplace and improve their organizations’ overall health. Mind Share Partners offers free toolkits to help people learn how to address mental health in the workplace. Natasha also dispelled common myths surrounding mental health conditions. Using specific examples and scenarios, there were frequent breakout sessions to brainstorm solutions with other attendees.

The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency East and North Central Regions joined the forum to share available mental health resources and promote how employers can support Check Your Mood screenings in the their workplaces and in the community. These screenings assess a person’s emotional well-being, in the same way a blood pressure check screens for hypertension.

To learn more about Ignite Wellness San Diego and upcoming events, you can sign-up for their newsletter here.