By Anne Bakar, President & CEO

We hear so much about the need for integrated mental and physical healthcare these days, that we sometimes forget all the reasons why this is absolutely imperative for the wellness of individuals and communities.

It is not only the higher mortality rate among individuals with serious mental illness due to physical health issues that is cause for alarm. The concern is also rooted in the untreated mental illness that frequently underlies chronic health conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, pain management, and addictions.

At 98ɫ����, our new mission statement is focused on building awareness of how these health problems overlap, as well as how we can treat them more effectively.

Historically, our recovery philosophy focused on helping those we serve to recover their hopes and dreams. And now, the language in our new mission statement speaks to engaging clients in recovering their “health, hopes and dreams,” a clear reference to the fact that recovery involves the whole person: body and mind.

We are operationalizing this new vision today primarily with an “education initiative” as our SVP of Operations, says. Through e-training, we are educating our 3,200+ employees on the physical health conditions that are most common among our members, as well as providing tools to support healthy lifestyle changes.

This month’s newsletter provides detailed information about our education curriculum, along with some profiles of how our leaders are thinking about this new mission and direction. We hope you enjoy this preview, and we look forward to sharing our learning and growth.