Arvada To Launch Mental Wellness Program In March

ARVADA, CO — Arvada's Resiliency Taskforce is partnering with the Jefferson Center for Mental Health to launch a program in March with the goal of helping small businesses address the mental health crises caused by the pandemic.

The program — christened Centered — will be funded by the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds made available by the city, a news release said. The program will offer a combination of monthly classes and "wellness resources," available for free to all Arvada businesses.

"Untreated behavioral health is costly to businesses in our community; it leads to lost productivity, turnover and expensive interventions that don’t necessarily lead to better health," said Jessica Dunbar, vice president of business development and community engagement at the Jefferson Center for Mental Health. "We want to change that dynamic by making it flexible, easy, affordable and even normal for employees, with support from their employer, to get proactive help at various levels through Centered."

Another aspect of this program will enable employees to schedule free one-on-one health coaching sessions and "reduced-rate" therapy sessions with experts and clinicians on the Centered team, according to the news release.

Employers and supervisors will also have access to free consultations with the goal of providing support as they navigate the mental health challenges of their employees, the release said.

This program comes after the Arvada Resiliency Taskforce — which was started with the intention of understanding and addressing the many impacts of COVID-19 — surveyed businesses in November and found that "mental health and burnout was the no. two concern for businesses," according to the release.

The Taskforce surveyed businesses again in January in an attempt to find which mental health services might be most beneficial if they were offered for free, the news release said. That survey found that "frequent tips to increase emotional resilience," "therapy sessions" and "individual coaching sessions" were preferred by Arvada businesses.

"We recognize that resiliency for Arvada businesses starts with a healthy, resilient workforce," said Kami Welch, Arvada Chamber of Commerce president. "Beyond the Arvada workforce having the right talent and skills, the greatest need for our businesses is ensuring its employees are navigating their emotional and physical wellness. We are excited to partner with Jefferson Center to lead this critical program."