A few stats tell a compelling story about the importance of providing behavioral healthcare for employees’ children.  

In the United States, 40% of employees have at least one child under their care. One in six children between the ages of 2 and 8 have a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or developmental health condition.  

The average delay between mental health symptom onset and treatment is 11 years. Almost two-thirds of youth of color who need treatment for major depressive episodes don’t receive it. 

Half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14, and 75% begin by age 24. The ratio of child and adolescent psychiatrists to children is only 14 psychiatrists per 100,000 kids. 

Seventy-one percent of parents report that their child’s mental or emotional well-being added stress that affected their work. Fifty-three percent of working parents report that they’ve missed work at least once a month to tend to their children’s mental or emotional health.  

At least 45% of parents who say they’ve been affected by their children’s mental health fear they could lose their jobs or opportunities for promotion if their child’s mental health interfered with work. 

May is National Youth Mental Health Month, and this year it’s more relevant than ever. Some employers might think the United States’ youth mental health crisis has little to do with their organization. But children’s mental health challenges — like attention disorders, anxiety, depression, bullying, suicidal ideation and a host of other symptoms and diagnoses — can have significant impact on business. Providing ample pediatric behavioral health benefits supports parents and boosts the time, energy and attention employees have available for their jobs and tending to their customers.  

Here are 8 ways to provide the pediatric behavioral healthcare support workforce needs:  

1. Sign up for virtual behavioral health solutions that include or are specific to children and teens. Virtual health can help complement the work of primary care physicians. And virtual appointments can sometimes feel more accessible and discreet for kids who are particularly sensitive to the still-pervasive stigma of mental health, emotional and substance use disorder treatment.  

2. Include adult behavioral health solutions including an Employee Assistance Program to address the mental and emotional strain children’s behavioral health challenges can create for parents. 

3. Encourage employees to speak to their supervisors of their family’s challenges with mental health conditions. Only 20% of working parents feel comfortable sharing this information with their supervisor. Managers can help the workforce understand these challenges are common, relatable and treatable.   

4. Create educational opportunities by inviting experts from the community to give free information sessions or webinars for employees. Many community organizations can provide this educational outreach for no charge.  

5. Encourage employees to start by contacting their child’s pediatrician or primary care provider for treatment or referrals. Approximately 70-80% of pediatric mental health prescriptions came from a primary care provider, and it’s important for providers to understand the child’s whole-health needs.  

6. Remind leadership to be outspoken about the organization’s commitment to battling damaging mental health stigmas and encourage those struggling to seek help.  

7. Introduce policies allowing employees flexibility with hours and remote work, where possible. Assure employees that they can take time off from work to care for their families without penalty.   

8. Clearly and frequently communicate with employees about these available benefits. Of all working parents, only 25% report knowing if their employer’s health plan covered pediatric behavioral health services or not.  

Employers play a vital role in welcoming these hard conversations and creating a culture of compassionate support in an organization. The workforce will realize what a difference this kind of work-based support makes, recognize, and appreciate the culture of care fostered. This, paired with providing ample behavioral health coverage for employees and their families, helps build employee loyalty and engagement in their work.  

By infusing empathy about behavioral health challenges into planning, organizations can boost their workforce’s engagement and productivity, build employee loyalty and most importantly, help children and families who are hurting from mental health issues find affordable treatment and sustainable solutions. 

For more information about behavioral health resources in Arkansas, visit mymindhelp.com and normalizetheconversation.com. For comprehensive information and resources for behavioral health, visit the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services at samhsa.gov or call the national helpline at 1-800-622-help (4357). To reach the National Suicide Hotline anytime, dial 988. To view citations for the statistics in this article, visit healthbenefitinsight.com/youth-mental-health.