For the first time, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex surpassed 8 million residents between 2022 and 2023. It marked the largest population increase of any U.S. metropolitan area. Momentum began when COVID-19 drove people out of higher-cost-of-living areas. They looked for cities in the south and the west, with diverse industries and economic strength. The pandemic also heightened awareness of mental health, especially among business owners, who are more focused than ever on employee wellbeing.
Corresponding with these trends is a growing demand for mental health resources and support. It’s estimated that one in four adults had a mental illness in the past year. As a result, the expanding community in North Texas increasingly requires help with their mental health and wellbeing.
Aetna, a CVS Health Company, is addressing the mounting need for mental health care in Dallas-Fort Worth, throughout Texas and across the country. By partnering with employers and the community at large, we can help ensure people receive care quickly, affordably and easily.
Employee mental health is a top priority for business owners
One of the many draws of North Texas is its economic vibrancy. Organizations here proudly invest in their employees and offer positive company cultures. The region is also widely appealing, especially to families seeking opportunities and prospective business owners.
To attract and retain talent, Texas companies need to offer behavioral health benefits and wellness resources, like those offered by Aetna. Employees who feel supported by their employers:
- Experience better mental health outcomes.
- Feel more comfortable being open about mental health at work.
- Are more engaged and have greater intent to stay with their current job.
Yet employers face challenges. They’re burdened by high health care costs and trying to give their employees access to the right types of care. Dallas-Fort Worth is diverse and the way people seek and access care is, too. This adds to the pressure on business owners, human resources teams, and benefit professionals to meet those distinct needs.
The expense of mental health care
Facing a mental health crisis is difficult. While a person in a crisis shouldn’t have to struggle to find support, it’s not always simple.
First, there aren’t enough behavioral health specialists. Shortages of counselors, psychiatrists, social workers and other providers can lead to longer appointment wait times.
Plus, when in-network providers can’t accept new patients, out-of-network provider fees can be cost-prohibitive. These barriers contribute to the unsustainable weight of mental illness. Because when treatment is delayed, more health issues occur. This results in higher costs, more complex interventions (like hospitalizations) or worsened overall health.
Finding the right solutions to improve employee mental health, wellness
Aetna has an extensive suite of behavioral and mental health offerings that help connect people to care faster and lower costs for our customers. In turn, employers benefit from a healthier workforce with more satisfied employees, higher retention and more productivity.
We have solutions just for employers, like Resources For Living®. It encompasses the Aetna employee assistance program (EAP) and provides so much more, including 24/7 clinical triage, group coaching services, digital tools and self-help options.
And because employees want personalized, high-touch engagement, we designed other tools like Mind Companion™. It’s a technology-driven platform that matches people to the right type of care when they need it. Similarly, Aetna 360™ Behavioral Health partners in-network providers with members and their families to provide long-term mental health support.
Finally, telehealth is here to stay after a boom in popularity during the pandemic. Virtual options don’t just help people get care more quickly. They also help providers treat more patients more efficiently and at a lower cost. That’s why Aetna has a wide range of telemedicine behavioral health solutions, ranging from substance use treatment to adolescent counseling and condition-specific therapy. At the same time, in-person care might be preferable for some. In that case, members have more options than ever before. Since 2022, Aetna has expanded its behavioral health provider network by 59% in Texas.*
Supporting the community in North Texas
At Aetna, we know that true health improvement requires attention to physical, social and mental wellbeing. Addressing the health care needs of the city’s growing population can’t be limited to just our members. So, we partner with local, community-based organizations. Together, we help connect Texans with health resources and other services.
For example, the Aetna Community Affairs team engages with people who live and work here through strategic programming and partnerships that positively impact community health. Through events like health fairs, we bring multi-language materials and bilingual community health workers to serve this diverse, culturally rich region.
We also have a pulse on non-medical drivers of health, like affordable housing. Having a safe, stable place to live is a key driver of positive health outcomes, so Aetna helps fund support services and homes for Texas families and older adults. Since 1998, we’ve invested over $200 million into 13,473 affordable housing units across the state. Of that, $140 million has gone to the community in just the last five years.
At Aetna, we know that healthier happens together®. It’s why we’re proud to support companies, their employees and the community at large in North Texas and throughout the state.
Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by one or more of the Aetna group of companies, including Aetna Life Insurance Company and its affiliates (Aetna). Aetna is part of the CVS Health® family of companies. The EAP is administered by Resources For Living, LLC. All EAP calls are confidential, except as required by law. EAP instructors, educators and participating providers are independent contractors and are not agents of Aetna. Provider participation may change without notice.
*Provider data as of July 1, 2023. Aetna network provider counts based on growth of Commercial PPO and EAP network of participating individual providers from 1/1/2022 to 7/1/2023.
Darren Bruton is market head of sales for public and labor at Aetna, and is responsible for the commercial business across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Bruton has 28 years of commercial health insurance and benefits expertise, having led sales and account management teams for leading health care companies.
