RBC Insurance and Best Doctors Canada transforming how group benefit clients suffering from mental illnesses are treated to recover more quickly
TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2016 /CNW/ – More Canadians are putting their lives on hold every day as they struggle to deal with mental illnesses that leave them unable to work. That inability to work leads to emotional and financial stress compounded by medical appointments and long periods of recovery. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), one in five Canadians experience a mental health issue in any given year, making it a leading cause of disability in Canada. In fact, almost 30 per cent of all group disability claims at RBC Insurance are related to mental health.
In response to this trend, RBC Insurance is taking concrete steps to help business owners and their employees get back on their feet sooner. RBC Insurance has signed an exclusive agreement with Best Doctors Canada to provide RBC Insurance’s disability insurance clients with industry leading mental health support and advocacy. The program called “Onward™” is geared towards helping clients with depression, anxiety and other mental health concerns, get healthy, productive and back to work sooner.
“We are thrilled to be rolling out this innovative mental health program to our group and individual clients,” says John Carinci vice-president, group & business markets, RBC Insurance. “We see the enormous impact mental illness has on the lives of our clients. This is why we partnered with Best Doctors to deliver a program that is specifically designed to provide those individuals with the holistic support they need to help them recover more quickly.”
Given that early intervention is critical when dealing with mental illnesses, the Onward by Best Doctors™ program provides rapid access to psychologists. The program includes 12 therapy sessions that can be conducted digitally from the comfort of home, eliminating the stress and cost of travel to an appointment. In addition, the program provides diagnosis and treatment recommendations from a leading psychiatrist to the client’s physician while assigning an advocate to each client to guide them throughout the entire process.
“Mental health is an often forgotten and overlooked element of health care, yet research continues to demonstrate the incredible role it plays for the wellbeing of an individual, a family, an employer, the economy, and our society at large,” said Peter McClennen, CEO at Best Doctors. “This unique solution ensures that each group and individual client has access to the leading physicians and programs that combat key mental health issues. Best Doctors is proud to work with a forward-thinking partner, like RBC Insurance, to deliver this innovative and much-needed solution.”