Katie Young/Keystone Ski Resort
When we think about staying healthy, we focus on eating right, exercising, and other preventive care. But when it comes to mental health, we sometimes ignore it until it becomes a problem.
Vail Resorts’ Epic Wellness Program aims to prioritize and change the way we think about mental health by using easily accessible habits that bring mental health to the forefront of daily life.
“We’re working to move away from the classic idea that mental health is something you either have or don’t have,” says Licensed Professional Counselor and Senior Manager at Epic Wellness. said Alexis Ramirez. “Just as we can be proactive to thrive in our physical spaces, we can be proactive and take steps for our mental health.”
Vail Resorts created the Epic Wellness program 10 years ago and has continued to grow ever since. Epic Wellness Director Corey Levy, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience in mental health care, has been instrumental in implementing the program from the beginning.
“We want to help people develop healthier behavioral habits and interactions,” he said. “And if they want to get support, we want to make it as easy as possible.”
As Vail Resorts has grown over the past decade, so has our Epic Wellness program. The company offers six free and confidential therapy sessions per year to all employees, their dependents and household members. This resource and all other resources through the program will be provided to all employees on their first day of employment.
A year and a half ago, Vail Resorts doubled its financial investment in employee health and expanded its clinical services to provide a continuum of care approach. At Epic Wellness, we understand the stressors of living in a mountain town, so we ensure our employees have access to health care providers who live and work within the same community. Ramirez emphasized that there are. Employees also now have access to daily-use mindfulness apps, virtual peer support programs, text- and chat-based therapy, and preventive resources such as professional wellness coaching.
“We have a lot of resources that are less formal (than in a clinical setting), that can be used on a daily basis, and that can help our employees grow,” Ramirez said.
The company and its partners use a community psychology-based approach to create a culture where mental health is de-stigmatized, talked about regularly, and where employees support each other and the mental health of their families and friends. We are working to promote And if someone needs help, we want to make sure they get the support they need.
“We want our colleagues to be engaged and look out for each other,” Levy said. “We often say, ‘Connection is prevention.’ When people understand that you care about them and express that, it helps the whole community do well. We believe in mental health We’re trying to make health not scary, but really engaging.”
Epic Wellness strives to ensure that employees understand that these benefits are also available to family members, such as dependents and roommates.
“We recognize that our employees live within a system, and they all need access to resources in order to function well,” Ramirez said. “We want to create systemic change, not only in our employees but also in our communities.”
The community rallied behind the program. In Summit County, Epic Wellness partners with local providers Building Hope, Katz Amsterdam Foundation, and Vail Resorts’ Epic Promise Program. The program also exists in all mountain towns operated by Vail Resorts.
“We want people to feel as comfortable talking about mental health and resources as they do physical health, and to hear their colleagues, leaders, and neighbors talk about it.”
Alexis Ramirez, Epic Wellness Senior Manager
Ensuring employees are aware of available resources is a top priority for Levy and Ramirez. We strive to communicate with our employees throughout the year. Keystone and Breckenridge resort leaders are actively working to openly discuss self-care and plan wellness events throughout the year. During January, which Vail Resorts recognizes as “Epic Wellness Month,” the Keystone and Breckenridge resorts hosted 15 wellness events attended by nearly 1,000 employees.
“We want our employees to continually know that we have a dedicated team of mental health professionals within the company to enhance their self-care,” Levy said. “We have resources in place for people to connect.”
“We have a lot of people on the mountain who care about this and are dedicated to our efforts,” Ramirez emphasized. “We want people to feel as comfortable talking about mental health and resources as they do physical health, and to hear their colleagues, leaders, and neighbors talk about it.”
