Happy New Year! We kick off 2022 discussing mental health, blood donor month and the latest on COVID-19.
How to Improve Your Mental Health in 2022

The year 2021 was one of emotional whiplash. There was anticipation for vaccines, followed by confusing rollouts. Then, we saw some hope as many Americans were inoculated, only to find new variants, a tumultuous news cycle and widespread confusion around the bend. The good news is that people across the country — including experts, public figures and kids — started talking more openly and helpfully about the importance of mental health. Here are the top pieces of advice from the most popular mental health stories to help you carry calm and clarity into 2022.
Why Cloth Masks Don’t Cut It

One of the most vocal advocates for the use of higher-quality masks throughout the pandemic has been Stanford infectious-diseases doctor Abraar Karan, who has researched COVID transmission and been calling for the use of high-filtration masks since the spring of 2020. Read about him and his ongoing campaign for better masks, their importance in the fight against Omicron, and why you should replace that cloth mask.
National Blood Donor Month

Blood banks are reporting crazy high shortages as the outbreak continues, but donating blood is still considered completely safe! If you are healthy and capable of getting to a nearby donation location, consider contributing if you can.
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Looking Ahead To 2022: 12 Healthcare Execs Offer Their Predictions

The changes brought to the industry in 2020 amid the pandemic continued to weigh on the minds of healthcare executives throughout 2021. As they look ahead to the coming year, they're expecting similar themes to carry forward: interest in virtual care, the ongoing pandemic response and a greater focus on patients' social needs.
Is Omicron the Beginning of the End?

From the first days of the pandemic, both experts and laypeople have disagreed about the extent to which we should engage in social distancing or government-imposed shutdowns. At every stage, some people wanted to take dramatic steps while others were more worried about the costs and drawbacks of such interventions, and that still holds true today. But, according to this article, the continuous fights over masks and vaccine mandates obscure the extent to which the field of battle has shifted in recent months.
The Most Unusual Job Market in Modern American History, Explained
It can be difficult now to remember what the U.S. economy looked like a year ago. The unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, with 10 million fewer people employed than before the pandemic. Then, the economy experienced two historic surprises. First, demand for workers came soaring back at a velocity almost never before seen. And second, despite companies going all out to hire, millions of workers either retired early or stayed on the sidelines.
The Future of Health: Three Healthcare Trends For 2022

The healthcare industry has experienced significant growth and changes over the past few years. Here are three trends in healthcare that will continue through 2022 and what companies in the industry should consider to maintain a competitive advantage.
The Broken Economics of Fertility Coverage

While fertility services become more readily available, costs continue to go up, negatively affecting employers and consumers. Find out more about how consumers, and their employers, pay the direct and indirect costs of this market phenomenon and how employers hold the cards for market change.
New Year and Omicron: Some Good News from Dr. Mark!
 
  • Omicron and other less severe versions of the virus could lead us towards an endemic phase, however there is no guarantee.
  • Omicron also appears to result in less severe disease, less hospitalizations and doesn’t seem to be severely infecting the lungs.
  • Where did you grow up? My father was in the Royal Air Force, so we moved around when I was a child. I was born in Kent, in the South of England, and then lived in many different places in the UK and abroad. I lived for five years in Singapore and two years in Bahrain. With all of these moves, I went to 11 different schools in the UK and abroad. Not only did I change schools frequently, I lived in 18 places by the time I was 18! My nomadic childhood has continued into my adult life and since leaving home to go to Manchester University at 18, I have lived in 23 more homes, took up residence in Oman and in the USA, and travelled to 90+ countries over the years.

What It Takes to Create a Caregiver-Friendly Culture

NEBGH held two employer roundtables this fall, and here’s some of what we heard is required to create a caregiving-friendly culture:

  • Empowerment by executive leadership
  • Flexible leave policies
  • Identification by managers of team members who may be struggling 
  • Employee education about caregiving benefits and leave policies
  • Use of ERGs and surveys to get in touch with employees’ needs
Employer Survey on Mental Health Solutions

World 50's Employer Health Innovation Roundtable (EHIR) announced the results of a survey regarding company adoption of digital mental health solutions for employees. The survey spotlights the growing trend toward — as well as the motivations, hesitations, and stressors behind — investment in solutions that replace and/or supplement traditional employee assistance programs (EAPs). 
 
The survey was conducted in collaboration with partners from some of today's leading executive coalitions including World 50, Health Transformation Alliance (HTA), Midwest Business Group on Health (MGBH), Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) and PeopleTech.