Pittsburgh Review

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wants to normalize conversations about mental wellness, and this week he signed the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Keystone Pennsylvania’s CEOs Against Stigma Pledge as part of National Mental Health Awareness Month.

The pledge is to end the stigma around mental health and work to provide resources for City employees who have mental illness, a recent press release from Gainey's office said. Those who sign the pledge join a program that is intended to increase their knowledge of employee mental health and help their leadership team create a culture in which mental wellness is a top priority.

“As the chief executive for the City of Pittsburgh, I am committed to creating a culture of support for our workforce,” Gainey said in the release. “We must normalize conversations about mental health, ensure our workers receive necessary resources to get help, and end the stigma around mental illness. Thank you to NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania and the Staunton Farm Foundation for your continued work in this effort.” 

NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania has a focus on raising mental health awareness and providing support for recovery, education and advocacy for those living with mental illness, as well as their loved ones. It is also focused on ending the stigma. Staunton Farm Foundation provided grant money for the CEOs Against Stigma Pledge Initiative.

The CEOs Against Stigma Pledge was created to increase worker productivity by ending the mental health stigma and provide resources for companies that sign on. 

NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania said that depression is the leading cause of disability across the globe, and it costs the U.S. economy between $2 billion and $10.5 billion each year in medical costs, loss of work productivity and being absent from work.