Alliance Data Supporting Mental Health Initiatives
World Mental Health Day occurs on October 10 every year, presenting an opportunity to discuss mental health and well-being. For over 20 years, World Mental Health Day has been organized by the World Federation for Mental Health, with support from the World Health Organization. Mental health is an important subject for everyone, from health professionals and legislators, to FORTUNE 500 companies like Alliance Data, to keep top of mind when making decisions and investments that impact the well-being of our communities and people.
Community Investments in Mental Health
Alliance Data invests in the communities in which its associates live and work in a strategic, impactful manner, specifically in areas involving education, children, independence and the environment. As part of these initiatives, the Company has partnered with key children’s hospitals to work together to make strides in pediatric mental health.
Much in the same way the Company utilizes data to create better outcomes for its clients, Alliance Data equips nonprofits like children’s hospitals with the power to utilize data to better serve their patients. Through its partnership with Children’s Hospital Colorado, Alliance Data invested $750k in the development, implementation and evaluation of a data warehouse for the Pediatric Mental Health Institute (PMHI). The suicide rate in Colorado has increased by 44 percent in the last 20 years, and resources like the PMHI are one of the few available to children in the state. This investment from Alliance Data equips Children’s Hospital Colorado with the ability to deliver an increased level of evidence-based services that are changing the lives of children.
Similarly, in Columbus, Ohio, where the Company is headquartered, Alliance Data has a longstanding partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which operates the nation’s largest program for child and adolescent behavioral health. Through a $1 million gift, Alliance Data is supporting Nationwide’s Center for Suicide Prevention and Research, along with the hospital’s Medication-Assisted Treatment for Addiction Program.
The Company devotes resources that support mental health, while also raising awareness and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Alliance Data associates participate in Nationwide Children’s On Our Sleeves campaign, which launched in 2018, to break the silence surrounding children’s mental health. The movement involves illustrative graphics on the arms or sleeves of children and teens to symbolize thoughts and feelings associated with mental health to encourage healthy conversations on mental health.
Getting Associates Involved
In addition to focusing on external communities, Alliance Data is committed to fostering sustainability and positive corporate social responsibility within. Associates are the backbone of Alliance Data’s business and the Company makes strategic investments in the overall well-being of employees in a variety of ways. Part of what landed Alliance Data on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list is its people-focused programs. One example is the Company’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This program provides five free sessions for employees and family members to meet with a mental health professional to discuss any major life changes or issues they may be experiencing. The program also includes TextTherapy to confidentially message counselors in real-time, as well as online self-guided programs so associates can receive assistance whenever they need it.
Alliance Data has also held on-site associate events to continue the conversation around mental health and give associates resources they can take into their lives away from work. In May 2019 as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Alliance Data associates in Westminster, Colorado hosted an event with Dr. Jenna Glover from Children’s Hospital Colorado in which she discussed the impact of the Company’s investment in pediatric mental health. Dr. Glover and hospital representatives also discussed warning signs of harmful mental health and behaviors in children, so parents can identify and intervene before issues escalate.
Alliance Data is committed to building healthy communities and supporting associates. Through investments and ongoing conversations surrounding mental health Alliance Data is making measurable strides to reduce stigma and provide resources to remind those suffering that they are not alone. Learn more about Alliance Data’s investments in its communities and associates in their 2018 Sustainability Report.
