Be well	 

Takeaways from Tallahassee, Florida Politics, 2/13/2021


The Florida Chamber of Commerce launched a mental wellness initiative this week to address the COVID-19 pandemics' toll on mental health and addiction.

The mental wellness initiative includes a video series and a statewide webinar with national mental health expert Dr. Aaron Weiner.

"The Florida business community's response to the mental health crisis and the actions we take to provide resources to Floridians is more important than ever," said Mark Morgan, chair of the Florida Chamber Safety Council's Leadership Advisory Board.

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey, 40.9% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition. The described symptoms include anxiety and other stress-related disorders.

What's more, 13.3% said they started or increased substance abuse to cope with COVID-19 related stress.

"The only way to reduce and remove the negative stigma around mental health is to talk about it, and that is exactly what the Florida Chamber Safety Council is doing by creating resources and hosting educational webinars," Morgan said.

The Florida Chamber Safety Council and AdventHealth are working to share mental health tools and resources with other businesses.