US Department of Labor launches online dialogues to gather public ideas, other input on health policies’ support for workers’ mental health

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the launch of a series of online dialogues to gather ideas and other public input on how health policies can support workers’ mental health most effectively.

The crowdsourcing will focus on four areas of concern for people with mental health conditions, including benefits policies that meet their needs, access to workplace care and supports, the reduction of related social stigmas, disparities faced by people in underserved communities, shortages of behavioral health professionals, and the establishment of state resource systems.

Part of the department’s ePolicyWorks initiative, the dialogues will remain open until April 3. Input received will inform the next meeting of the Mental Health Matters: National Task Force on Workforce Mental Health Policy. The State Exchange on Employment and Disability – an initiative of the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy – is convening the task force in Chicago from April 29 to 30.   

“The State Exchange on Employment and Disability’s Mental Health Matters Task Force has yielded useful insights so far, and we expect these new online dialogues will add to our perspectives,” said Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams. “The experiences and ideas shared by people who participate in these dialogues will help the task force develop resources and policy frameworks needed by state and local policymakers to support workers’ mental health needs and meet the increasing demands on our nation’s behavioral healthcare workforce.”

The dialogues invite the public to submit ideas, and to react, comment and vote on opinions shared.

Learn more about the State Exchange on Employment and Disability.