Convene Business, Government and Community
Leaders to Discuss Ways to Address the Mental Health Crisis
Impacting Employees Across America
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Business Roundtable and The
Cigna Group brought together senior business executives, federal
policymakers and community leaders last night for a Workforce
Mental Health Summit in the nation's capital. The event was
part of the Business Roundtable Mental Health Initiative, a CEO-led
effort to help companies promote and support employee mental
health, championed by David M.
Cordani, Chairman and CEO of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI).
During the event, leaders in business and government provided
perspectives on the impacts of the mental health crisis and
strategies to ensure a healthy and productive U.S. workforce.
"Mental health – and the many complex issues surrounding it –
touches every aspect of our lives, and each and every one of us can
share a story about facing mental health challenges," said
Cordani. "Employers have an unmatched relationship of trust
with their workers and are integral to supporting their access to
care. Yet this cannot be a one-and-done initiative – if we truly
want to move the needle, and build a stronger, more resilient,
healthier nation, it will take all of us pulling together in the
same direction."
"CEOs understand the important role they play in addressing
employee mental health and dismantling the stigma, and they are
committed to being a part of the solution," said Business
Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten.
"Business Roundtable launched our Mental Health Initiative earlier
this year to equip business leaders with resources, expert best
practices and peer insights to enhance their companies' mental
health efforts."
Throughout the event, panelists discussed the importance of
building workplace cultures that support employee mental health and
the need for public-private sector collaboration to mitigate the
crisis. To shed light on the role of government, Cordani led a
fireside chat with U.S. Senators Chris
Murphy (D-CT) and Pete
Ricketts (R-NE), who shared policy recommendations to
address loneliness and other mental health challenges, and support
access to care and substance use disorder treatments.
Another panel discussion featured Julie
Sweet, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Accenture;
Wayne Peacock, President and Chief
Executive Officer, USAA; and Blake
Moret, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rockwell
Automation. The CEOs shared their views on the impact of mental
health challenges on businesses and the economy and information on
their companies' efforts to promote workforce mental health.
More than one in five U.S. adults and youths live with a mental
illness, and 76% of U.S. workers in 2021 reported experiencing at
least one symptom of a mental health condition. Beyond the profound
personal impact, mental health challenges have far-reaching
consequences on business that impact the whole economy. Missed work
due to employee depression alone was estimated in a 2022 analysis
to cost the U.S. economy $47.6
billion annually in lost productivity.
Learn more about Business Roundtable Mental Health Initiative
here.
About The Cigna Group
The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) is a global health company committed
to creating a better future built on the vitality of every
individual and every community. We relentlessly challenge ourselves
to partner and innovate solutions for better health. The Cigna
Group includes products and services marketed under Cigna
Healthcare, Evernorth Health Services, or its subsidiaries. The
Cigna Group maintains sales capabilities in more than 30 countries
and jurisdictions and has more than 189 million customer
relationships around the world. Learn more at
thecignagroup.com.
About Business Roundtable
Business Roundtable is an association of more than 200 chief
executive officers (CEOs) of America's leading companies,
representing every sector of the U.S. economy. Business Roundtable
CEOs lead U.S.-based companies that support one in four American
jobs and almost a quarter of U.S. GDP. Through CEO-led policy
committees, Business Roundtable members develop and advocate
directly for policies to promote a thriving U.S. economy and
expanded opportunity for all Americans. Learn more at brt.org.
Media Contacts
Madeline
Ziomek, The Cigna Group
(202) 615-1473
Madeline.ziomek@evernorth.com
Jennifer Cummings, Business
Roundtable
(202) 496-3249
jcummings@brt.org
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SOURCE The Cigna Group; Business Roundtable
