"We were impressed at the interesting and broad range of benefits that good companies are providing. But many of these services are not being used by the employees who need them, so it becomes an issue of helping connect employees with the available benefits," says James Perrin, MD, director of the MGH Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy, the study's leader.
The researchers surveyed 41 employers representing many fields in four cities – Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta and Seattle. Participating companies included both the largest employers in the communities and several recognized as particularly family-friendly. Members of the research team interviewed company representatives – primarily human resources staff – asking about the benefits programs available to employees, respondents' view of the needs of parents of children with ADHD, and ideas for improving services.
Although only 36 percent of the respondents reported experience or knowledge of ADHD, the survey found employers provide significant services that could be helpful to affected families. These include flexible work hours, family leave arrangements and child care assistance. Most employers offer employee assistance programs, primarily targeted to helping employees deal with psychological issues, or work/life programs that focus on balancing work and family responsibilities. Although these services were rarely cited as relevant to the care of children with ADHD, survey respondents were interested in helping families access needed services.
"Among the most important benefits that we heard about were flexible work time arrangements – which can allow parents to attend school conferences or take children to doctor's appointments – and opportunities to learn about available services and to connect with other parents," Perrin says. "These companies know that providing good benefits can help improve workforce productivity and reduce absenteeism. Parents need to investigate whether their employers offer services that could help them."
Perrin also noted that he and his colleagues are working with major employers to help them highlight available services on their internal websites, develop support groups and link employees to support services in the community. He is a professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
Co-authors of the report are Chris Fluet and Karen Kuhlthau, PhD, of the MGH Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy; Betsy Anderson and Nora Wells of Family Voices, Boston and Algodones, N.M.; Susan Epstein, MSW, New England SERVE; and Debby Allen, ScD, and Carol Tobias, Boston University School of Public Health. The study was supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
MassGeneral Hospital for Children, the pediatric service of Massachusetts General Hospital, is the oldest provider of pediatric services in Boston. It is consistently listed in the U.S. News and World Report Guide to America's Best Hospitals and was ranked number 17 in the 2004 edition. Through its growing network of community-based facilities and pediatricians, the hospital's excellent care is conveniently accessible to families throughout the region.
Massachusetts General Hospital, established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $450 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, cutaneous biology, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, transplantation biology and photomedicine. In 1994, MGH and Brigham and Women's Hospital joined to form Partners HealthCare System, an integrated health care delivery system comprising the two academic medical centers, specialty and community hospitals, a network of physician groups, and nonacute and home health services.
Journal
Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics