Mental Health Collaborative Partner Feature: Old National Bank
Six months after the formation of the Mental Health Collaborative, we’re hard at work bringing stakeholders together and mobilizing resources to address the significant and complex challenges that impact mental health access and support in the Bloomington community.
This ongoing work isn’t possible without generous support from funders – within our community and beyond. Funders can often be foundations with grant dollars to give or philanthropy-minded individuals who care about the cause.
But local businesses also have a very important role to play in bringing innovative solutions to realistic possibilities. Scott Shishman, Old National Bank’s Bloomington Market President, shares why.
Old National Bank: A Champion for Local Change
For decades, Old National Bank (ONB) has been a leader in improving the lives of communities throughout the Midwest. Employees in every state participate in community events and philanthropic activities – and their annual event, ‘100 Cooks Who Care,’ has raised over $1 million for nonprofit organizations.
This generosity is championed through ONB Foundation, an independent charitable organization that supports nonprofits in the places where ONB operates. As a long-time partner of Bloomington Health Foundation, and the lead sponsor of our Mental Health Collaborative launch in May, they’ve provided Monroe County with strong footing to improve mental health access and support.
“We want to be part of the solution,” says Shishman. “It’s important for us to change the way we respond to mental health, and we want to show how businesses can be leaders in doing so.”
Prioritizing Mental Health Amongst Lingering Pandemic Challenges
It’s no secret that untreated mental health issues can significantly impact the workforce, leading to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher employee turnover. Employees struggling with mental health may find it difficult to focus, make decisions, or manage stress, which affects their performance and workplace relationships.
Offering mental health resources, such as counseling or stress management programs, benefits employers by fostering a supportive environment, improving employee well-being, and enhancing overall productivity. These resources can reduce absenteeism, decrease healthcare costs, and boost morale, ultimately creating a more resilient and engaged workforce, which contributes to long-term business success.
Throughout its history, ONB Foundation has always been a strong supporter of mental health initiatives and programs. But following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have made a concerted effort to prioritize access to better mental health resources – both internally and externally.
Internally, ONB is ensuring that their employees are taken care of too. As workers return to the office from long periods of working at home, mental health struggles from the pandemic are still lingering. ONB is prioritizing access to better mental health services for their workers, like subscriptions to Headspace – a mediation and mindfulness mobile app – and a “Mental Health Matters” intranet page with tips, worksheets, and other resources.
“We recognize the critical connection between strong mental health and overall health and wellness, and we are striving to do our part to help build mentally and physically healthy communities,” says Shishman.
Highlighting the Goal of the Mental Health Collaborative
ONB’s dedication to addressing mental health challenges is exactly the kind of result we’re hoping to achieve through our Mental Health Collaborative. Every stakeholder in the community has a unique resource that can positively impact the state of mental health – and ONB has become a prime example of this.
But we also understand that many sectors of the community aren’t sure how they can help, or why tackling mental health should be a collaborative movement.
“I think there’s some consensus in the business community that mental health issues are prominent here. But having said that, not everybody knows how to get involved. And so what we really need is people like Bloomington Health Foundation that are going to take a leadership role in trying to solve this,” says Shishman.
That’s why Bloomington Health Foundation is dedicated to empowering our community. As local leaders in community health advocacy, we are leading and convening initiatives to support mental health, and forming strategic community partnerships across all sectors.
We want to show that pooling our resources together can make a sustainable impact on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of our neighbors battling with their mental health.
So whether you work in government, social services, philanthropy, or a local business – like Old National Bank – you can play a positive role in improving mental health equity in our community.
Explore ways you can get involved in our fight for a healthier community.