Empac takes on Prairie View’s employee assistance business

Mental health and substance abuse services provider Prairie View has agreed to transition its employee assistance program services to Wichita-based Empac, a nonprofit EAP provider.

As of this month, Newton-based Prairie View has transferred the 24 companies to which it provided EAP services to Empac. Empac provides EAP services to more than 160 companies in and around Wichita as well as across the country.

“We recognize that today’s HR directors need more from their EAP and that our EAP clients could be better served by a larger and more comprehensive EAP provider,” Prairie View CEO Jessie Kaye said in a news release.

Employee assistance programs provide support services to employees who are dealing with personal or family issues, such as mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, and marital problems.

Empac CEO Heath Bechler said the “collaborative agreement” allows it to utilize services offered by Prairie View.

“We gained access to nearly 90, highly trained professionals in mental health and addictions as well as six locations to make it more convenient for clients,” Bechler said in the release.

Empac was established in 1977 by the former Beech Aircraft, Gates Learjet and Pizza Hut to provide EAP services to their employees. Empac employs 15 people, more than half of whom are professional counselors.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Empac takes on Prairie View’s employee assistance business."