SALT LAKE CITY — A division of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services connects people struggling with mental illness with employers to help them recover. Individualized Employment Services (IPS) offices across the state help people struggling with mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders find and keep employment.
Sharon Cook, supported employment administrator for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Substance Use and Mental Health Services, said it reduces the stigma that people with a hard history won’t be able to keep a job or that a job might not be good for them.
“When they are working in a competitive, integrative and even meaningful employment environment, they may have a greater sense of purpose and greater self-esteem and self-confidence,” Cook said. “We’ve seen improved quality of life and reduced symptoms.”
Cook said the program will also reduce long-term care costs across the state.
“[We see] “Reduced psychiatric hospital stays…reduced emergency room use and justice involvement,” Cook said. “When people with mental illness return to work, it can save significant amounts of money in the long run on mental health care costs.”
The department doesn’t just provide support to employees: employers also benefit from having DHHS support.
“Employers are now taking a team-wide approach to supporting the people they hire, which helps with employee retention,” Cook said.
Cook also said he encourages employers who are skeptical of putting someone with a troubled past under stress by explaining that the only thing more stressful than employment is unemployment.
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