Eight months into the coronavirus pandemic, employees continue to face a myriad of stressors, including health anxiety, isolation, financial concerns, family issues and increased workloads. This prolonged stress is impacting sleep, energy and motivation, while driving a heightened demand for mental-health services and medication. “If you think of a classic disaster, . . . [like] an […]
EQ Care is offering free access to its on-demand mental-health support program to help people cope as Canada endures a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. “Being committed to empathetic and compassionate care for the last 30 years, we recognize the important role EQ Care is privileged to play in improving the health of Canadians during this challenging […]
Like a spiky meteorite, when the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year it demolished employer’s best-laid plans and is forcing them to find innovative ways to support, motivate and retain employees. During a virtual roundtable on Oct. 16, the 2020 Workplace Benefits Awards finalists discussed how they’ve quickly responded to everything from employee mental health to supporting financial wellness […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is expanding into the growing telemedicine market to provide Canadian benefits plan members and their families with more convenient access to digital health-care services. Through its LifeWorks’ business, the company is launching a unified telemedicine service that will provide Canadians with quick access to medical practitioners such as doctors, nurse practitioners and other clinical professionals […]
Health and wellness platform Dialogue is acquiring employee assistance program provider Optima Global Health. The purchase is part of Dialogue’s growth strategy to tap into the increasing demands for health and wellness services for employers and employees during this turbulent time, according to a press release. “Tapping into Optima’s established expertise and leadership is critical to the […]
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, more than half of Canadian employers (53 per cent) are enhancing their well-being programs, while 27 per cent are planning to make changes to improve health benefits, according to a new survey by Willis Towers Watson. The survey, which polled nearly 150 Canadian employers with more than 800,000 employees, […]
The Empire Life Insurance Co. is adding telemedicine services to its group benefits plans. Beginning Sept. 1, 2020, all employees whose plan sponsors offer Empire Life’s group benefits will automatically have access to the new service, provided by Teladoc Health. “Nearly two in five Canadians say they have faced COVID-related barriers to medical care,” said […]
EQ Care is forming a partnership with RWAM Insurance Administrators Inc. with the aim of facilitating access to virtual health-care services. RWAM, a Canadian third-party administrator of group insurance benefits, offers services including medical consulting sessions, triage and medication prescribing. Read: EQ Care, myHSA enter agreement expanding access to telemedicine Virtual health-care services could be […]
Digital benefits company myHSA and virtual health-care organization EQ Care are entering into an agreement to expand access to telemedicine. Through the agreement, EQ Care will be added to myHSA’s Benefits Bucket suite, so plan members can access on-demand health-care support by experienced medical professionals who have received in-depth training on the coronavirus. Read: Sun […]
Canada could experience a 2.6-fold increase in visits to mental-health practitioners and up to a 20 per cent increase in antidepressant prescriptions due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by Deloitte. The report explored the human and social impact of natural disasters and periods of economic hardship — such as […]