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USDA: Mental Health Awareness Month message and activities

May 3, 2022

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Colleagues, 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness, reducing stigma and seeking help for ourselves, our colleagues and our loved ones. Mental health includes emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make healthy choices. Departmental Regulation 4430-792-1, Employee Assistance Program, requires USDA agencies to develop and implement an EAP in order to provide employees with services that help them make healthy choices.

Mental health awareness has become more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, the change in work environments has brought about improvements to physical and mental health and well-being, more quality time spent with family and friends, and a better work-life balance. For others, mental health challenges have arisen. As many employees are starting to return to the physical workplace and routines are impacted, employees may be facing additional challenges and stress. We want you to know that we are in this together.

USDA is concerned and committed to wellness and well-being of each one of you. The mental wellness of our employees is just as important as the physical safety of our employees. Our goal is to have a holistically healthy work culture. In addition to well-being programs, we want to ensure how we work, the policies and practices in our workspaces, and how we lead as leaders reflect our commitment and take into consideration the well-being of each of our employees. The USDA Future of Work Toolkit provides workplace flexibilities guidance, health and safety measures, leave flexibilities and additional resources available to support USDA employees.

USDA employees have access to resources and referrals through our EAP. Most agencies have dedicated workplace wellness offices or representatives that offer innovative and relevant trainings and classes. In addition, in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, USDA has planned various events during the month of May. We encourage all employees to participate in the upcoming events during Mental Health Awareness Month. You will find the list of events and how to participate attached.

As the president stated, each one of us plays an important role. It is more important than ever to know what resources exist and that for those who need immediate assistance know they can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK—which will transition to a simple three-digit number, 988, in July. In addition, in support of mental health awareness and employee well-being, for those of you at the USDA Headquarters Complex, please join Deputy Secretary Bronaugh for a “Walk and Talk” on May 24th from 12-1 p.m. Monitor your email for additional details for this event.  Other USDA senior executives plan to hold similar events with their employees across USDA. Look out for announcements from your mission and/or agency for additional information.

We are dedicated to making USDA the best place to work in the government and one of our top priorities is taking care of our employees. Again, we want you to know we are here to support you. Together we will strengthen the mental health of the USDA workforce and our communities.

Sincerely,
Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack 
Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh
 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/es/node/651968406