The community’s mental wellness is good for business

SalusCare celebrates 10 years of the merger between Southwest Florida Addiction Services andLee Mental Health

From increased productivity to reduced absenteeism, employee mental wellness is good for business, but the last few years have taken a toll on everyone.

According to Lyra’s 2023 State of Workforce Mental Health, “collective trauma from the pandemic, climate disruptions, political strife, and workplace stress and burnout have brought the link between work and well-being into the global spotlight.”

This was proven through a survey of 2,500 employees across the United States:

• 86% experienced at least one mental health challenge over the past year, but only 33% received mental health care
• 50% of employees said their mental health affected their work, compared with 48% in 2021
• 1 in 3 employees said their benefits do not effectively address their mental health needs, and 49% said it was not easy to find mental health care for their children.

That is why nonprofit mental health organizations like SalusCare are so critical to the wellbeing of the community and its workforce.

To best address the needs of the community, two long-standing mental and behavioral health agencies, Southwest Florida Addiction Services and Lee Mental Health, merged in 2013 to form SalusCare, the largest nonprofit mental health and substance abuse treatment agency in Southwest Florida.

Named for Latin roots of “Salus,” (pronounced “Sail-us”) meaning health, prosperity and safety, SalusCare continues to reflect that focus, while moving forward to meet the needs of the community.

Today, SalusCare employs more than 300 people who bring hope and recovery to nearly 16,000 adults and children with outpatient psychiatry and therapy, residential programs, recovery residences, emergency/crisis services, detox and community-based services from six locations in Lee County, improving care for children and adults. Designated walk-in times, telehealth and text to appointment services are available.

We offer a full continuum of behavioral health services. It’s a huge win for the community to have all services truly connected. While the two organizations had been working together, the merger recognized the growing awareness that mental and behavioral health and addiction were often related.

“It has allowed us to become well-rounded with cross-training that has helped us enhance care,” says Michelle Sutherland, who had been with Southwest Florida Addition Services for 18 years and has served as SalusCare’s executive administrator and director of outsourced operations since 2020. “Everyone is able to share in patient care holistically, and it has allowed our staff to learn and grow.”

Going forward, SalusCare will address the growing need for mental, behavioral and addiction services, which have been on the rise in the past few years. We expect the need to triple in the next five to 10 years.

With a sliding fee scale, SalusCare offers mental, behavioral and substance use disorder services for everyone in the community, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. That is good for the health of our community and for business.

For information about services available at SalusCare or to donate, visit saluscareflorida.org or text “appointment” to 239-275-3222.