Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) proudly endorses launch of TELUS
platform for consumer eHealth

OTTAWA, June 4 /CNW/ - The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) provides a wide range of mental health programs and services in some 135 communities across Canada. Now we have extended our reach in supporting Canadians' mental health to an exciting new level. CMHA, National Office is proud to endorse the launch of TELUS health space, powered by Microsoft HealthVault, Canada's first consumer eHealth platform.

"We are excited to be endorsing this growing new health 'ecosystem'. We believe that empowering consumers to more effectively manage their own health will result in greater consumer engagement and better care management," says Dr. Taylor Alexander, CEO, CMHA, National Office. "TELUS health space is an innovation that can promote new approaches to mental wellness by helping Canadians take an active role in managing their own health and living healthier lifestyles."

Mental illness is the number one leading cause of disability in the world. Mental illness costs the Canadian economy a staggering $51-billion a year, and each day 500,000 people will miss work due to mental health problems.

"We believe that this security enhanced platform will enable the creation of a new generation of mental health information, diagnostic, and treatment follow-up tools. These tools will promote positive mental health and help screen and manage mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder that impact hundreds of thousands of individual Canadians each year," says Alexander.

These tools will help empower patients to better understand and manage their own condition and provide a more streamlined link to the treating physician which will, in turn, have a more positive impact on patient outcomes and our healthcare system in general. "We look forward to supporting other application developers who will be building mental health applications on TELUS health space in the near future," says Alexander.

About the Canadian Mental Health Association

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), founded in 1918, is one of the oldest voluntary organizations in Canada. Each year, we provide direct service to more than 100,000 Canadians through the combined efforts of more than 10,000 volunteers and staff across Canada in over 135 communities. As a nation-wide voluntary organization, the Canadian Mental Health Association promotes the mental health of all Canadians and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness. CMHA accomplishes this mission through advocacy, education, research, and service delivery. For further information, please visit www.cmha.ca.

For further information: Kismet Baun, Senior Communications Advisor, CMHA, National Office, [phone], ext. 4141, [email protected]