Mission for the Mind: Advancing Mental Health Solutions
Leidos is committed to addressing the broad challenges associated with mental health and well-being
In August 2017, Leidos launched an initiative to help do our part in taking action against the opioid epidemic. At the time, the magnitude of the crisis was just hitting headlines. Leidos enacted many initiatives in the business and in communities to tackle the issue. Leidos' efforts have grown to address not just opioid addiction but the broader challenges and underlying contributors to addiction associated with mental health and well-being.
Leidos is devoted to identifying and solving some of the world's toughest problems. From driving health research to protecting soldiers in war zones to shaping environmental conservation plans; our minds help develop solutions that improve our world. This mission-critical work, often aimed at the most complex challenges, can only be done with the full capacity of our minds. We must proactively protect our minds and further commit to their health and well-being. Together, we can be a catalyst for change.
We focus on several areas for our initiatives, including:
- Anti-opioids and substance use disorder prevention
- Anxiety, depression, and COVID-19-related impacts
- Anti-suicide efforts, especially related to veterans and the emerging vulnerable population of healthcare workers
Leidos works to pull together critical players to elevate the conversation on mental health through a focus on employees and partnerships with community organizations, professional sports teams, and those at health and defense agencies. Leidos also works to develop new solutions in the communities in which we live and work with the goal of improving the mental health of this generation and generations to come.
By driving bold conversations that break the stigma around mental health and by advancing research, Leidos can contribute to a world where the mind is better understood, developed, and protected.
"Looking after our health and that of others isn't simply the treatment of an ailment or illness. It's a holistic mix of physical well-being, mental health, financial stability, food security, access to adequate employment and safe housing. Our collective focus must be on efforts to address addiction and overall mental health that will be critical to saving lives and helping improve the overall well-being of our communities."
Liz Porter, President Health Group
Protecting our People
As an employer of more than 46,000 people across the U.S. and beyond, Leidos has a critical role to play both in reducing the stigma around mental health and addiction and increasing accessibility of resources. Mental health and well-being are at the center of our Mission for the Mind Program. Our Build a Better You initiative helps employees achieve their personal wellness goals. The program includes health and wellness challenges through the Virgin Pulse well-being platform where employees have an opportunity to earn points toward rewards.
Through the Virgin Pulse platform, we offer employees health and wellness challenges with opportunities to earn points toward rewards. We also offer free access to the Headspace app, regular wellness education sessions provided by our Employee Assistance Program, flexible time off and expanded optional benefit offerings at discounted prices. We continue to seek opportunities to expand our mental well-being offers as we are committed to making certain everyone at Leidos has the access to support and resources they need to build and maintain the best version of themselves.
Leidos Well-Being Champions
The Leidos Well-being Champion Network is comprised of employees across the United States and United Kingdom who support employee
health, well-being and work-life balance. The ambassadors promote four key pillars: Mental, Physical, Financial & Social Well-being to ensure visibility and access at all levels across the business. Being a Well-being Champion is a flexible and voluntary commitment. Champions are identified on our intranet pages and through the well-being champion email logo.
Partnerships for Health
Starting in July 2018, Leidos enrolled in the AOM program offered by Express Scripts (ESI, pharmacy benefit management organization). The 2021 Leidos AOM Annual Report showed a decrease of 59% in average day supply per claim for first time short-acting opioids with 71% of patients redirected to a safer, short-acting opioid. Further, the average day’s supply per claim was reduced from 18-day to 7.5-days when compared to the prior year. These measures are all critical in reducing the likelihood that a Leidos employee or a family member will develop an opioid use disorder.
Leidos has also partnered with Delta Dental (our dental insurance provider) on their initiative to reduce opioid prescriptions for dental procedures. As part of this partnership, Delta Dental reports on dentist opioid prescription practices (potentially problematic prescription practices) and member opioid use. This information allows Delta Dental to reach out to dentists and members to provide targeted opioid educational information, promote Delta Dental’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, outreach to providers identified as opioid prescribing outliers and allows for continuous monitoring of those who are overprescribing.
Engaging our Community
In 2017, Leidos employee John Hindman challenged our CEO, to do more to address the growing opioid epidemic after his son, Sean, lost his life to an overdose. Directly as a result of hearing John's story and many like it within Leidos, we established the CEO Pledge. Organizations taking the pledge commit their time, talent and resources to help end the opioid addiction crisis through better education, support and access to services that are desperately needed. Today, the Leidos CEO Pledge has over 100 signatories and an expanded mandate — one that will continue to address opioid addiction while also tackling broader mental health challenges of anxiety, depression and suicide. Leidos participates in regional panels as well as engages in various activities with partners including Monumental Sports & Entertainment, The Baltimore Ravens, The U.S. Department of State, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and its 360 Strategy Initiative and Operation Engage. The company continues to provide significant support to non-profit organizations in this area each year, having already contributed millions of dollars to substance misuse and mental health charitable efforts. We have been privileged to support many organizations including the following:
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) : As part of an ongoing commitment to mental health and well-being, Leidos sponsors and participates in numerous Out of Darkness Suicide Prevention Virtual Experiences hosted by AFSP, including in the Washington, D.C. metro region, North Alabama and San Diego, CA. Team Leidos efforts helped raise critical funds and awareness in support of those affected by suicide.
- Chris Atwood Foundation (CAT): Leidos has provided support to CAF by helping to raise critical funds and support naloxone training and distribution events. Most recently, in 2021, Leidos joined the Virginia Department of Health to support CAF’s Revive to Thrive mobile unit as part of a harm-reduction program benefitting Northern Virginia.
- Baltimore Ravens Partnership: Starting in 2020, the Ravens-Leidos “Tackling Opioid Addiction” campaign distributed nearly 70,000 drug disposal packets to local non-profits. In April 2021, Leidos and the Baltimore Ravens, with support from the CAF and Safeway, Inc. partnered to support Oxford House drug-free recovery homes in Baltimore City, nearby Maryland counties, and in Sussex County, Delaware. The collaboration focuses on providing funds and materials to aid new residents in their recovery and to provide safe and stable housing options.
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA): Leidos has had a multi-faceted partnership with CADCA since 2017, with the collaboration focused on supporting CADCA’s mission to build drug-free communities. The scope of the partnership includes:
- Leidos Youth Leadership Training – A three-day youth leadership training in Washington, D.C. for approximately 100 youths;
- Community Awareness Safe Disposal Events (CADCA) – Leidos coordinated with CADCA periodically on community awareness safe disposal events to coincide with DEA’s National Take Back Days;
- Drug-Free Campaign Awards Dinner – Leidos supports CADCA’s annual Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner helping to raise critical operational fund.
- EVERFI: Leidos partners with EVERFI to provide a Mental Wellness online course to middle schools and high schools in the greater Morgantown area of West Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland at no cost to the schools. Leidos supports this first-of-its-kind digital learning course to destigmatize the topic of mental health, increase student resilience, and empower students to access the skills and resources they need to support their emotional well-being.
- Milken Institute Center for Public Health (CPH): Formed in late 2020 (and formally announced in May, 2021), the CPH-Leidos relationship is further promoting the Leidos CEO Pledge End Addiction and is expanding to address mental health concerns more broadly. Together we are mobilizing employers across industries to address the growing opioid epidemic and concurrent mental health crisis. Core to the new relationship is a Collaborative Action Group, created to reach more employees and communities, especially in light of how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated substance use and harmed mental health and well-being globally.
- The George Mason Center for Psychological Services (GMU CPS): The GMU CPS provides evidence-based, accessible, affordable and culturally sensitive therapy and testing services to our Northern Virginia community. It is also the main training clinic for GMU doctoral candidates in clinical psychology, as well as students in other behavioral health disciplines.
- The Women's Center (TWC): Leidos is a corporate sponsor of TWC, which provides mental health counseling, support, and education to the metropolitan area to help people live healthy, stable, and productive lives. Since 1974, they have grown to include services to clients of all gender identities, families, young adults, and children.
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Sharing Solutions: Designed to highlight workforce resources and innovative solutions to combatting the opioid crisis nationwide. Leidos has been actively engaged in this national initiative since 2019.
Customer Missions
Our commitment to mental health and well-being in the workplace also extends to the important work for our customers in federal and defense health agencies. For nearly four decades, Leidos has worked with the U.S. military to support improved performance, resilience and wellness among our service members. We provide military personnel and their families with preventive and treatment services to guard not only their physical, but also their behavioral health. Through the Military and Family Life Counseling Program, for example, we provide military personnel and their families with non-medical counseling services to identify and alleviate military life stresses before they rise to harmful levels.
