May 31, 2010 - Starting June 1, 2010, Equitable Life of Canada is offering
employers the ability to further support employee health and
wellness. By providing access to the following services, Equitable
Life will also address employers' needs to manage the cost and
impact of workplace absenteeism:
- FeelingBetterNow® is provided by Mensante.
FeelingBetterNow.com (FBN) is a confidential and anonymous
interactive, web-based mental health care system designed to assist
family physicians and patients in the early diagnosis, treatment
and follow-up of common and potentially debilitating mental health
issues. FBN will help identify when an individual is at risk for
common mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety and
alcoholism and will provide patients and their doctors with the
practical help they need to treat and follow up on these disorders
using medical best practices.
- The CAREpath Navigation System™ is a cancer
assistance program that helps reduce the physical and emotional
impact that cancer places on employees and their families by
ensuring medical best practices are utilized. When people call
CAREpath, an experienced team of oncology nurses and physicians
guide each individual towards the right treatment at the right
place and at the right time. These professionals help individuals
before their first visit to an oncologist and continue to provide
guidance throughout cancer treatment, thereby returning them to
health and productive lifestyles sooner.
- WorldCare™ Second Opinion provides expert,
timely e-consultations for serious illnesses. WorldCare delivers
highly specialized and personalized electronic second medical
opinions from the best medical centres in North America to local
attending physicians. Second opinions include a confirmation or
modification of the original diagnosis and treatment
recommendations, including alternative treatments and/or therapies,
based upon the latest cutting-edge research from experts from
member hospitals of the WorldCare ConsortiumSM.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by
Ceridian Canada. LifeWorks® Solutions integrates a full EAP program
with work-life and wellness services and provides access to support
from professional counsellors via the telephone, face-to-face
sessions and online. An EAP program allows employees to seek
professional support and assistance before their personal issues
impact their productivity at work or lead to avoidable
absences.
"Canadian employers recognize the value of healthy employees and
workplaces," explains Karen Mason, Senior Vice President, Group,
Equitable Life of Canada®. "Because of the high cost of
absenteeism, group benefit plans need to support employee health
and work-life balance and help employers reduce their
absence-related costs."
In fact, according to the Staying@Work study from consultants
Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Canadian employers will lose an estimated
$16 billion a year to absences, identifying a need for solutions
that support employee health and contribute to workplace
wellness.
Equitable Life introduced EquitableHealth.ca™ in 2009 as part of
all group benefit plans to address this need. EquitableHealth.ca
(EquitableSante.caMC) connects employees
with online, reliable, Canadian health and wellness resources
through the Equitable HealthConnector™ platform.
"Online resources support employees in their efforts to be at
their best at home and can help with workplace absenteeism and
productivity issues," adds Mike Waechter, Director, Group
Marketing. "With an aging workforce, rising mental health issues
and challenges, increasing cases of cancer and other serious
illnesses, we needed to provide the next step in health and
wellness solutions."
"By partnering with leading health and wellness service
providers, we can now offer Canadian employers solutions to the
costs and impacts of workplace absenteeism," says Mason. "By
providing access to services that can support employee health and
work-life balance challenges, employers will benefit from a more
productive and present workforce and in turn reduce the impacts of
avoidable absences."
