Building resilient health systems

Our team members come to Inova to do their best every day. It was critically important that we support them by removing the barriers of seeking care and providing mental health resources. When they thrive, our patients and communities thrive.

Wendy Jolly

Vice President, Total Rewards & Team Member Experience

Inova Health System

Lyra helps build and retain strong workforces. High turnover is a costly problem in health care, driven by fast-paced, high-stress environments. Before partnering with Lyra in 2022, Inova’s annual voluntary turnover rate was over 16%. Today, that number has dramatically decreased to 11.3%—a change they attribute to the support Lyra provides. Investing in a comprehensive mental health benefit isn’t just a compassionate choice; it’s a strategic one. It helps build a more stable and engaged workforce. As Wendy Jolly puts it, “Our team members come to Inova to do their best every day. It was critically important that we support them by removing the barriers of seeking care and providing mental health resources. When they thrive, our patients and communities thrive.”

Lyra delivered from day one. “It was the easiest implementation I’ve ever had,” recalls Valerie Hennies, Director of Benefits. From the start, Lyra’s account management and marketing teams offered hands-on, proactive support. They ensured a seamless technical integration and collaborated with Inova to launch a home mailer and a magnet to help spread awareness to team members and their families. Valerie also noted that all of the Lyra services “worked right away.” The app functioned flawlessly, and Lyra’s support team was ready to quickly and consistently resolve any queries. From day one, Inova team members had easy, reliable access to high-quality mental health care.

Driving engagement for a hard-to-reach workforce. Inova recognizes that a new benefit’s success hinges on awareness. At the time of launch, they collaborated with Lyra to build a multi-pronged communication plan, from home mailers to weekly newsletters. They also embedded Lyra into their new hire onboarding process—a crucial step for an organization that onboards up to 500 new team members a month. The impact was immediate: the first time they promoted Lyra during onboarding, registration jumped by 40%. Today, their success is measured on Lyra’s real-time reporting dashboard. In 2024 alone, Inova team members completed more than 27,000 sessions with Lyra, a powerful testament to the program’s impact.

Extending care to every member of the family. For many of Inova’s team members, the stress of caregiving doesn’t end when their shift does. Many are also parents navigating a deeply personal challenge: finding mental health support for their children. Long waitlists and a shortage of pediatric mental health providers often left families without options. Lyra provided a direct answer. With access to a network of dedicated child and adolescent therapists and specialized programs such as Lyra Coaching for Parents, Inova families got the support they needed. The result was profound: over 500 children and teens have received support, proving that caring for the caregiver means caring for their entire family.

Breaking down stigma with quality care. Lyra’s impact goes beyond engagement numbers—it’s changing the culture at Inova. Of the more than 40% of team members who started care citing burnout and work-related stress, 84% improved or recovered. In an industry where stigma can silence people, that’s no small feat. Today, leaders are stopped in the hallways by team members who openly praise the benefit. As Valerie shares, “People often come to us and say, ‘This is great!’” With Lyra, Inova is not just providing timely, high-quality care; it’s actively breaking down barriers and fostering a workplace where mental health is openly valued and supported.