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DHHS Employee Assistance Program reports steady demand, limited staffing
Summary
The DHHS director of the Employee Assistance Program told the finance subcommittee the EAP operates statewide with seven positions, served roughly 750 new client cases last calendar year and has stepped up on-site presence in 24/7 facilities but lacks predictive data history until a new client data system reaches steady state.
Mike Lawless, director of the DHHS Employee Assistance Program, briefed the House Finance Division 3 on the EAP’s role, services and staffing levels.
Lawless said the EAP began as a pilot for 900 employees in 1985 and expanded to serve state employees and their families. The program has seven positions and contracts or receives contributions from other state departments for services. Lawless told the committee the office handled 750 individual client cases or new cases in the last calendar year, provided satellite office hours at two 24/7 facilities on 105 days and delivered more than 60 trainings and roughly 97 orientation sessions.
He described a recent migration to a data-management platform that began recording individual client data in July and training metrics in September; the EAP expects richer trend analysis and forecasting when two years of data populate the new system. Lawless said the program saw spikes in demand during the pandemic and after critical incidents, including the active-shooter response at New Hampshire Hospital; he described a flexible surge response but said the department does not have a dedicated contingency fund for spikes and would seek transfers from vacancy or underspent contract lines if necessary.
Members asked about vacancy and credential expectations. Lawless said the EAP’s staff had no current vacancies and that onboarding is complex; while new hires often have behavioral-health training many positions now allow experienced candidates with different education backgrounds. He described a range of service delivery modes including telehealth and satellite hours to improve access.
Ending note: The committee asked for performance metrics and trend projections; Lawless offered to provide last calendar year trends from the new data-management system once they are fully compiled.
