Readily available. Culturally competent. Evidence-based.

OSU invests in employee well-being with Lyra Health. 

Story by Gary Dulude

“Employees are our greatest resource.” 

Lots of employers say it. Oregon State University means it. 

“We see the connection between an employee’s mental health and their ability to be present at work,” says Bonny Ray, Executive Director for University Human Resources. “There is an actual business case that when people are mentally healthy and thriving, it increases their positive engagement at work. This impacts both productivity and retention.” 

Oregon State’s new benefit through Lyra Health launched in late 2023. Lyra offers mental health coaching, therapy, and other support to OSU employees and their dependents. Resources are available online and in person. 

This is not the first time OSU has offered an Employee Assistance Program, and while Lyra is a more significant investment by the university, Ray says it meets specific employee needs that the previous EAP did not. 

One simple yet vital need is fast access to care. Lyra has more than 8,000 providers, so employees can find a provider quickly and schedule an appointment within days instead of waiting months.  

The other specific request from OSU employees and affinity groups was for “culturally competent care, for somebody to understand that we have some unique needs in our mental health care related to our identities,” says work-life coordinator Christina Schaaf.  

Employees can choose from multiple preferences — including race and ethnicity, LGBTQ+, veteran status and religion — and be matched with a provider online. In addition, a therapist of color is available for in-person sessions in Corvallis every Thursday.  

About 40% of Lyra providers are Black, Indigenous or people of color. Schaaf believes having culturally competent therapists aids progress toward healing and growth. 

“You don’t have to start out the conversation by explaining how things are affecting you in certain ways because that provider has that knowledge or training or that same background as you,” she says. “I think it helps employees feel secure in that relationship with their therapist and probably have better outcomes than they would otherwise.” 

In addition to ready access to a diverse selection of providers, Lyra also offers research- and evidence-based self-care tools. Lyra was the only provider offering white papers to show how employees would see improvements in their mental health or how Lyra would help them achieve specific goals. “So we felt confident saying there are tools that can help you,” Ray says. 

Other tools include a variety of webinars, including “Black Men and The Mental Health Journey,” “Navigating Imposter Syndrome” and “Trans Identity in the Workplace. Lyra Gatherings are clinician-led, small-group discussions designed to help participants strengthen the connection between social identity, mental health and workplace experiences. While these two programs are not specific to OSU, timely webinars, gatherings and self-help resources in response to national and global events are a unique Lyra service. 

Oregon State is one of the few universities on the West Coast to offer Lyra, which is more commonly available in the private sector. Ray believes it helps with employee recruitment and retention, particularly when candidates are evaluating benefits from different job offers. 

Positive feedback came within a week of launching Lyra. One employee reported that she was able to make an appointment with a Spanish-speaking provider for her daughter within two days, something she “never even dreamed would be possible.”  

Others have reached out to say thank you or that the benefit has made a significant difference in their life or the life of their child, Ray says, noting that 97% of employees stay with the provider they’re matched with. “The matching is fast, and the satisfaction is high. We know that our population is reporting better mental health after receiving services.” 

Clear evidence that Oregon State’s investment in employees is working.