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For the City of Bloomington, Illinois, creating a culture of wellbeing isn't just good policy — it's essential to the health of the entire community. With a diverse workforce of nearly 1,000 employees spanning office staff, first responders, seasonal lifeguards and concert staff, and part-time workers out in the field, each person contributes to making Bloomington a vibrant place to live and work. |
The City of Bloomington manages a diverse workforce of more than 600 full-time employees serving across 12 departments. Their personnel spans multiple work environments and roles, with approximately 30 percent in-office and 70 percent in-field, including first responders, public works, and parks and recreation. This workforce diversity created a need for a flexible employee assistance program (EAP). The city specifically sought digital-first solutions offering comprehensive mental health and wellbeing coverage, with particular emphasis on specialized support for high-stress positions such as police and fire.
For two decades, the city has maintained a strong partnership with TELUS Health, whose EAP services complement Bloomington's internal health initiatives to provide a holistic approach to wellbeing. This collaboration addresses the fundamental challenge of delivering flexible, accessible support across the city's multifaceted workforce. The solution offers 24/7 confidential resources for employees and their dependents, addressing mental health, family and legal/financial matters, alongside counseling, digital cognitive therapy, and targeted first-responder support. The effectiveness of this partnership is demonstrated through strong utilization rates. Bloomington further enhances employee wellbeing through its own incentive program that rewards healthy choices and helps to improve engagement.
The City of Bloomington has seen positive outcomes from their wellbeing strategy, particularly in helping employees navigate personal challenges that impact workplace performance.
For two decades, the city has partnered with TELUS Health to provide comprehensive EAP services supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its workers. This partnership addresses a key challenge: effectively meeting the needs of varied roles and responsibilities across union and management positions in 12 different departments.
Before TELUS Health, the city relied on a local EAP provider with limited availability and network of specialists. Today's digitally-enabled EAP expands the range of services, allowing 24/7 access to specialized care, including counseling, digital cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma support for high-stress positions in the police and fire departments.
"The coverage meets the needs of our employees," says Josh Hansen, Total Compensation and Process Improvement Manager. For example, their plan offers six counseling sessions to help employees address specific wellbeing concerns, compared to three or four sessions typically available in the private sector. The program also extends comprehensive coverage to employees' dependents.
The partnership has proven instrumental in elevating Bloomington's own comprehensive strategy to addressing employee wellbeing. The cornerstone of the city's approach is an annual "Wellness Day" program, where employees earn credits toward additional paid time off. This is complemented by a $100 incentive for completing annual lab tests and online health risk assessments.
"We're pretty well rounded with the types of initiatives we offer," says Tina Swanson, Benefits and Leave of Absence Manager. "Whether it's working on prevention or staying on top of an existing condition, we do a good job highlighting our offerings and promoting them to our employees throughout the year."
With employees spread across various departments and work environments, Bloomington employs a thoughtful range of communication strategies to ensure EAP benefits reach their diverse workforce. The city regularly features wellbeing information in their employee newsletter "Connections," which Swanson uses to share "the latest and greatest of what's going on with the EAP." EAP information is also prominently displayed on the HR SharePoint site for easy access, while new employee orientation sessions introduce these services from day one.
The city further encourages participation by integrating EAP utilization into their wellness points system, with Swanson explaining, "If our employees seek counseling, or participate in the seminars that are offered by TELUS Health, and if they can prove that, we award credit." The team also targets promotions during Mental Health Month in May to raise additional awareness.
For ongoing engagement, the HR team works closely with supervisors, equipping them to recommend EAP services when appropriate. "If employees are struggling with their performance, and that can be tied to something related to mental health, we are very good in HR reminding our supervisors about EAP services," explains Swanson.
Creating a supportive culture where mental health is a priority is fundamental for the city. Both Hansen and Swanson credit leadership with actively helping to remove stigma around mental health support and embracing work-life balance.
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"It's not taboo to talk about mental health anymore, and with inflation over the last couple years, financial wellness has become more prominent. The health piece has always been there, but now it's more common and comfortable to discuss these other important facets of wellbeing." Josh Hansen, City of Bloomington |
A powerful example comes from a senior manager who shared his experience using the EAP while navigating the challenges of his child's autism diagnosis. Through regular counseling sessions with a specialized therapist, he transformed what was once "almost debilitating" into a manageable situation with access to the right tools and support.
The partnership between the City of Bloomington and TELUS Health, which began in the mid-2000s, has strengthened over time. This has led to consistent contract renewals, mainly due to the level of support the city has received from their Customer Success Manager (CSM), paired with the digital experience they are offered through their client portal.
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"This is probably the easiest team I have worked with, whether asking questions or getting suggestions for anything we're dealing with. Our CSM is, by far, the most responsive person that we've worked with." Tina Swanson, City of Bloomington |
She adds that the TELUS Health technology – including the strategy portal – is "more progressive than we've had in the past,” noting her appreciation of how TELUS Health's ready-made digital resources help to enhance their wellbeing strategy.
“The website, portal, marketing – everything is already done for us, which is great."
Hansen echoes this sentiment: "Our CSM and the whole team lead with humility and focus on building common understanding to figure out how to make things better."
Through this comprehensive approach to wellbeing that extends beyond mental health, the City of Bloomington has created a supportive environment that benefits both employees and the community they serve. The program has particularly impressed newcomers to the city ranks – a critical demographic following the pandemic, which saw an unusually high number of younger workers leave their jobs.
“I've heard from a number of new hires that they are really impressed by how we approach wellness and overall wellbeing for our employees,” says Hansen, noting, "We try to be as consistent as possible in putting our employees' needs at the center of what we do."