National Quality Institute and Great-West Life introduce new workplace mental
health award recognizing organizations promoting good mental health

TORONTO, Oct. 26 /CNW/ - The National Quality Institute (NQI) and Great-West Life announced their new award under their Canada Awards for Excellence program, recognizing organizations with outstanding workplace policies and programs for addressing mental health in the workplace. 

It is a fact that good health is not possible without good mental health. It is also a fact that one in five Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their lifetime.¹

Mental illnesses affect people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures. Depression will rank second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020. Mental health disorders in the workplace cost Canadian companies nearly 14% of their net annual profits and up to $16 billion annually¹.

More recent calculations, which include indirect costs, suggest that upwards of $50 billion is lost to the Canadian economy annually due to mental health and addiction issues.²

That is why Great-West Life and the National Quality Institute (NQI) are partnering to introduce a new award under the Canada Awards for Excellence program to recognize organizations for outstanding programs dealing with Mental Health in the workplace.  

The National Quality Institute along with a team of experts across Canada will be developing the criteria for employers to implement strategies for improving mental health at work. Organizations with outstanding performance in addressing mental health issues in the workplace will be recognized under the Canada Awards for Excellence (CAE) program beginning in 2011. Great-West Life, the Patron of this award, is funding the development and sponsoring this award.

"As Patron of the Mental Health at Work award, Great-West Life is pleased to support this initiative and help to increase awareness of the importance of good mental, physical and emotional health and well-being for Canadians at work and in their communities," said Jan Belanger, Assistant Vice-President, Community Affairs for Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life. 

As part of its commitment to enriching communities across Canada, Great-West Life established the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace which helps provide freely available resources for all employers, including strategies, tools and support for research and initiatives aimed at improving workplace mental health for all Canadians.

The new CAE Mental Health at Work award complements the work of the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace as well as Great-West Life's Presenting Sponsorship of Canada's Healthy Workplace Month.

This new award criteria will be made public by April 2011 and the first presentation of  the award will be made next October.

Members of the Steering Committee are:

Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), Daniel Langlais
Canadian Mental Health Association, Kathy Jurgens
Ceridian Canada, Naome Howe
Government of Nova Scotia, Linda McMaster
GP²S, Roger Bertrand
Great West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, Mary Ann Baynton
Guarding Minds @ Work, and Simon Fraser University, Dr. Joti Samra
Homewood, Edgardo Perez, MD
Mental Health Commission of Canada, Luciano Bernes
Mental Health Commission of Canada, Chair Workforce Advisory Committee, Ian Arnold
Mood Disorders Association, Karen Liberman
National Quality Institute, Kathryn Cestnick
National Quality Institute, Stan Murray
Peel Children's Aid, Brenda Moody
Public Health Agency of Canada, Mental Health promotion Unit, Centre for Health Promotion, Sahazia Ouedraogo
THCU, Larry Hershfield

About NQI
The National Quality Institute is an independent, not-for-profit, organization that is committed to advancing organizational excellence across Canada. NQI recognizes outstanding organizational performance through the Canada Awards for Excellence program, which has enjoyed the Vice-Regal Patronage of theGovernor General of Canada for the past 5 years.

Since its inception, the National Quality Institute has helped thousands of Canadian organizations in both the private and public sectors. As Canada's national authority on Quality and Healthy Workplace® practices, the National Quality Institute has created a uniquely Canadian model, providing measurable standards for all Canadian organizations.

NQI assists Canadian organizations to improve performance by providing:

• a principle-driven, criteria-based way to implement organizational excellence
• Progressive Excellence Programs (NQI PEP®)
• national recognition through the Canada Awards for Excellence program
• education and assessment services
• membership services
• advisory and coaching services

About Great-West Life
Great-West Life is a leading Canadian insurer which, together with London Life and Canada Life, serve the financial security needs of more than 12 million people across Canada.

About the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace
The Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace helps provide freely available public resources for all employers including strategies, information, and tools as well as support for research and initiatives aimed at addressing and improving workplace mental health as well as reducing risk to psychological safety. Through the Centre's website at www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com, employers can find a diversity of ideas and resources from a variety of sources, designed to help with prevention, intervention and management of  workplace mental health issues. The Centre was established by The Great-West Life Assurance Company as part of its commitment to enriching communities across Canada.

¹ Mental Health Commission of Canada (Nov 2009) Toward Recovery & Well-Being, A Framework for a Mental Health Strategy in Canada

² Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (September 2010), Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine

For further information:

National Quality Institute
Bonita Savard 1-800-263-9648 ext 233, [email protected]

Great-West Life, Media and Public Relations
Marlene Klassen, 204-946-7705

Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace 
Mary Ann Baynton, 905-689-7447, [email protected]