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By Rob Schlissberg, President – at-Home Solutions

Prior to the pandemic, I worked every day out of Cardinal Health’s headquarters in Ohio. I loved spending this time in person with my team. Fast forward to when we began to work from home due to COVID-19. I found myself feeling like I needed to do something to not feel so isolated. More so on a whim, I went outside and took a walk. I noticed the people in my neighborhood smiling at me – I even had a neighbor who waved hello at me for the first time since we moved in.

And even more on a whim, I recorded a message on my phone to send out to my team in at-Home Solutions just to check in, explain what I was doing and tell them that it, surprisingly, made me feel a little bit better. Ever since, I’ve continued walking.

For me, this wasn’t about hitting my step goal for the day – movement has always been something that’s been a comfort for me. In fact, I’m a retired professional golfer, so I made an early career in a sport that required me to be on my feet for hours at a time. At first, too, it really wasn’t even about mental health. I never really spent much time thinking about mental health. All I knew was that, when I took my walks, the rest of my day didn’t feel like it was too much to tackle.

Today, I am back at the office – and I’m lucky to take advantage of the walking trails that are on Cardinal Health’s office campus. I still make room for walks in my schedule, even sometimes asking my coworkers to join me on the trail instead of a conference room.

I know that often, those who are struggling with mental health can often feel isolated or worried to share about what they’re going through. I decided to keep bringing my team in on my journey – and encourage my teams to find their own way to prioritize their health too. The more I started to share, the more others came forward, too.

I now share these check-in videos regularly with my team as a way to express the importance of listening to yourself, setting boundaries and being open about how you’re doing. Focusing on your mental health is as important as focusing on your physical health – when we are healthy in mind and body, we can come to work and be our best selves. And, when we’re our best selves, we can be the best for the customers and patients we serve.

In at-Home Solutions, we’re in the business of taking care of people who have chronic conditions – like diabetes – or helping those who need CPAP, wound care, ostomy or continence supplies. While these conditions are incredibly important to focus on, the chronic illnesses that we can’t see need just as much attention as those that are more physically noticeable.

As I’ve continued to share about my own awareness journey, others have joined in. This month, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month, I had the opportunity to host Cardinal Health’s annual Mental Health Town Hall where we asked employees who have turned to art as a way to manage their mental health to share their stories with us.

Submissions of art, music, poetry and more came in by the handfuls – I was impressed by the tremendous amount of talent showcased by these artworks and the way Cardinal Health employees have used art as an outlet to heal or express their emotions.

Stephanie Duerden, a senior marketing manager in the Advanced Diabetes Supply Group (which just joined at-Home Solutions through our most recent acquisition), shared her story during the town hall about how she turned to art as a way to empower positive self-worth. She said, “As humans, we tend to lean into criticisms rather than strengths. If nothing else I wanted to share today is that you are powerful, you are capable and you are worthy of the life you want to live.” At right is one of Duerden's paintings.

During the town hall, I also had a chat with our Chief Human Resources Executive Officer, Ola Snow, about how even the people, executives and leaders who look the most put together have messy lives. We all have worries. I worry about how my kids are doing – if they will be happy at school. Ola shared the same sentiment – and I think it’s important to know that we never have to walk alone when it comes to mental health. Because I’ve been open about my mental health journey, my team at work can tell if I’m not feeling my best – they check in, they ask me if I’ve taken my walk for the day. And I do the same for them too. These small check-ins matter – when you are simply there for each other, life doesn’t feel so heavy.

At Cardinal Health, we are all committed to improving the lives of people every day as healthcare’s most trusted partner. Ola made a great point during our discussion that we can only be successful partners to the customers, patients and communities we serve if we can bring our best selves to work. That starts by creating an open space for dialogue and understanding and providing important tools and resources for our employees to thrive. As a leader in Cardinal Health, I know I can make a big impact within my team by talking about my own mental health and encouraging them to share about theirs as well. You can read more about how Cardinal Health supports its employees, customers and communities through a commitment to mental health advocacy here.

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, immediate and nonjudgmental help is available by calling or texting 988.

Rob Schlissberg is president of at-Home Solutions, a leading supplier of direct-to-patient medical supplies, serving nearly 6 million customers per year who are managing chronic conditions like diabetes, sleep apnea, incontinence, ostomy management and more. at-Home Solutions is made up of four businesses: Velocare, a hospital-at-home logistics and supply chain provider; Cardinal Health at-Home, a wholesale medical supplies distributor for home medical equipment and home health agency customers; and Edgepark and Advanced Diabetes Supply Group, leading direct-to-patient medical supplies providers. Read more about Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions here.