Driving Mental Health Engagement in Health Care

Supporting the caregivers behind a rapidly growing community While WakeMed operates alongside some of the nation’s largest academic medical institutions, it remains the primary, nonprofit safety-net health system for a region that consistently ranks as a top-ten best place to live in the U.S. With a workforce set to eclipse 14,000 employees, WakeMed maintains a “care for the caregiver” philosophy that keeps pace with its larger neighbors. As Becky Scolio, Marketing & Communications, notes: “We really represent a microcosm of our community. And one of the great needs in our community is mental health. That is also true for our staff.”

A “no-brainer” strategy for effective outreach For a benefits team managing a massive organization, Lyra’s automated marketing became the ultimate “easy button.” It helped remove the operational burden of keeping mental health resources top of mind. Emails were sent directly to employees, creating consistent touchpoints without requiring constant HR coordination. Susan McFarland recalls: “We were looking for a partner that could be proactive and when our Customer Success Manager shared ways that Lyra can help us spread the word, it was a no-brainer for us. We wanted a partner so we don’t have to think of all these ideas ourselves.”

The impact was significant: After opting into a Lyra-led campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month, WakeMed saw monthly registrations triple compared to its previous average, marking the highest number of registrations in the health system’s history.

Making support safe and confidential Allowing Lyra to lead communications helped address one of the biggest barriers to mental health care in health care settings: privacy concerns. Penni Daley, Benefits Manager, explains: “The confidentiality provided when Lyra sends communications is appealing to our employees. It removes a barrier: I don’t have to send the communication and our employees don’t have to rely on a benefits communication schedule.” By establishing this trust through direct, external outreach, WakeMed created a foundation that allowed them to then weave mental health support into the very fabric of the physical workplace.

Thoughtful engagement for a workforce on the move Health care workers are among the hardest to reach. Many are rarely at desks, constantly on the move, and focused on patient care before their own needs. Reaching them requires a creative, multi-pronged approach that meets them where they are. 

WakeMed and Lyra built a steady drumbeat of communication by getting creative with physical touchpoints, utilizing PC lockscreens for mental health messages, posting flyers around the workplace and in employee restrooms, and mailing keychains and magnets to employee homes. They even distributed Lyra badge-backers to every leader to ensure a referral was always within reach. As Susan McFarland notes, “Managers are a huge source of referral. Having a quick and easy thing attached to their badge was really great.”

Providing immediate support in moments of crisis Since the need for care often arises from sudden, distressing events in a hospital environment, WakeMed leveraged Lyra’s ability to mobilize quickly during critical incidents. Following the tragic loss of a team member over a weekend, Lyra was onsite Monday morning. “I think Lyra supported a hundred people. It was amazing,” says Susan. “Even people who didn’t seek support directly saw that the organization took what happened seriously and made those resources immediately available—the staff responded really positively to that.”