Two Leading Canadian Social Enterprises Are Partnering to Improve the Health of Canadian Workers and Their Dependent Parents and Grandparents Français
GreenShield and SE Health set new standard with first-of-its-kind benefit for working caregivers in Canada
TORONTO, Feb. 13, 2025 /CNW/ - In GreenShield's ongoing commitment to designing innovative solutions that support health equity in Canada, the national non-profit health and benefits company has partnered with Saint Elizabeth Health Care (SE Health), another leading non-profit social enterprise, to introduce an unprecedented benefit delivering comprehensive coverage and care to working caregivers and their dependents.
More than six million employed Canadians, most of them women, are facing an incredibly difficult challenge: balancing the demands of their careers with the overwhelming responsibilities of caring for aging parents or loved ones. The strain is real—44% of caregivers miss an average of eight days of work annually, and 26% are forced to take a leave of absence to meet their caregiving duties. This growing burden is not only impacting families but costing workplaces an estimated $1.4 billion in lost productivity each year. In addition, nearly a quarter of caregivers report experiencing mood disorders, anxiety, or PTSD—twice the rate of those they care for.
To tackle this problem, GreenShield and SE Health are teaming up to co-design, develop, test, and scale a variety of integrated programs, including a transformative employee benefit that offers access to a certified personal support worker for the dependent parents or grandparents of employees. Available as a pilot program to SE Health's workforce – of which 80% are women, 60% are from equity-seeking communities, and 55% are "double-duty caregivers" balancing their healthcare roles with caregiving responsibilities at home – the benefit is designed to help prevent and alleviate caregiver burnout, further advancing health equity and inclusion in the workforce.
"Many Canadians are struggling to balance the responsibilities of work with the emotional and financial burden of caregiving," says Zahid Salman, GreenShield's President and CEO. "This unique partnership joins two like-minded, purpose-driven social enterprises to unlock new innovative health solutions – advancing GreenShield's mission of Better Health for All. We are committed to empowering caregivers by improving access to convenient, integrated coverage and care."
As Canada's first payer-provider, GreenShield integrates insurance, benefits administration, and claims payment (as a 'payer') with health services such as mental health support, telemedicine, pharmacy care, and chronic disease management (as a 'provider'). Through its industry-leading integrated health and benefits platform, GreenShield+, thousands of SE Health employees will be able to seamlessly access their benefits, connect with health care providers, and get reimbursed for their claims all in one place.
"This is a direct investment in our people, who are truly the heart of this organization," says John Yip, president and CEO of SE Health. "With a shared commitment to improving the health of Canadians, we look forward to continuing to develop and test new creative health solutions with GreenShield."
As a non-profit, GreenShield operates without shareholders, enabling the company to prioritize health outcomes and reinvest its excess earnings to directly support the health and well-being of underserved communities. Through GreenShield Cares, the company has committed $75 million to improve the health of over one million Canadians by the end of this year, with a focus on mental health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management. As part of its social mission, GreenShield will collaborate with SE Health in the coming months to develop inclusive mental health solutions to address caregiver burnout within equity-seeking communities.
About GreenShield:
As Canada's only national non-profit health and benefits company, GreenShield believes health care is a right, not a privilege. We're dedicated to improving health outcomes, driving systemic change, and building a future where every Canadian can reach their full health and well-being potential.
We are revolutionizing the health and benefits experience with coverage and care in one place. Through our unique integrated payer-provider ("payvider") model, offering insurance, administering benefits and paying claims as a 'payer' while offering health services such as mental health, pharmacy, telemedicine and chronic disease management as a 'provider'.
As a non-profit social enterprise, we don't have shareholders, which allows us to prioritize and reinvest our excess earnings to directly support underserved communities. Through GreenShield Cares, we've committed $75 million to improve the health of over one million Canadians by the end of 2025, focusing on mental health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management. Our scalable initiatives deliver meaningful change in pursuit of Better Health for All.
GreenShield is proud to be recognized as one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures, a leading Imagine Canada Caring Company, and named on the Fortune's Change the World list.
About SE Health:
SE Health is a not-for-profit social enterprise that shares its knowledge, provides the best care, and helps each client to realize their most meaningful goals for health and wellbeing. Since 1908, SE Health has worked with purpose to Bring Hope and Happiness, and forever impact how people live and age at home. Today, the SE Health team delivers care in more places and ways than ever before, bringing health to life for over 25,000 Canadians each day. Our 8,000+ staff work extensively with clients and families, hospitals, provincial health systems and the private sector to deliver over nine million health care visits and interactions annually.
The SE family includes a dedicated research centre, health career college, First Nations, Inuit and Métis program, futures lab and global enterprise. Together with the Saint Elizabeth Foundation and diverse partners, we have facilitated transformative solutions in the areas of aging, education, Indigenous health, and end of life care. Building on its track record of growth and innovation, SE Health is currently investing in breakthrough models that drive scalable impact in value-based care and the future of work. We are honoured to be one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures™ 2024 and a three-time recipient of the Canada Order of Excellence.
SOURCE GreenShield
For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Sarah Mortimer, Corporate Communications, GreenShield, [email protected], 647-221-9037; Sarah Quadri, Corporate Communications, SE Health, 647-612-7145, [email protected]
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