$300,000 donation to increase
access, reduce wait times for children and youth
OTTAWA, Jan. 18, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Let's Talk
today announced a $300,000 donation
to CHEO, a pediatric health and research centre in Ottawa, to support the Choice and Partnership
Approach (CAPA), a program to help reduce wait times and improve
access to mental health care.
"CHEO's Choice and Partnership Approach will enhance timely
access to care for young people in Ottawa-Gatineau and Bell Let's Talk is proud to
support this innovative program," said Mary
Deacon, Chair of Bell Let's Talk.
CAPA decreases wait times and streamlines service delivery,
empowering patients and families to be stewards of their own mental
health through collaboration with clinicians to determine the
optimum treatment plan. Donor support for this program will help
CHEO reach its goal of being able to see patients for their first
and second appointments within weeks, accelerating their access to
the most effective care possible.
"Access to care is the top mental health need, and too many of
our children and youth in Eastern
Ontario go without proper care," says Dr. Kathleen Pajer, Chief of CHEO's Department of
Psychiatry. "We strive to have every child and youth needing
non-urgent outpatient care receive it within 4 weeks and we are
working hard to achieve this goal with CAPA."
"CAPA means helping kids more quickly and that means helping
more kids and their families," said Alex
Munter, CEO and President, CHEO. "The earlier we can start
managing mental health, the better we set up our children and youth
for success and their best lives. We are so thankful that Bell's
leadership in reducing the stigma around mental health is also
supporting programs like CAPA at CHEO to make things better for
child and youth mental health."
Bell Let's Talk Day is January
30
Everyone is invited to join the conversation on
Bell Let's Talk Day by sending messages of support across multiple
platforms to drive both awareness and action in mental health.
Bell will donate 5 cents to
Canadian mental health programs for each of the following
interactions, at no extra cost to participants beyond what they
would normally pay their service provider for online or phone
access:
- Talk: Every mobile and every long distance call made by Bell
wireless and phone customers
- Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
- Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring
the special Bell Let's Talk emoji, and Bell Let's Talk Day video
view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
- Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video at
Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Let's Talk frame
- Instagram: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at
Instagram.com/bell_letstalk
- Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk filter and video
view
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Total Bell Let's Talk Day interactions since the first event in
2011 stand at 867,449,649 and are expected to exceed 1 billion on
January 30. Bell's funding commitment
for mental health, including the company's donations based on Bell
Let's Talk engagement and its original $50-million donation to launch the initiative, is
now $93,423,628.80 and expected to
surpass $100 million on January 30.
About CHEO
CHEO is a global leader in pediatric
health, dedicated to helping children and youth live their best
lives. CHEO combines excellence in clinical care, research and
education with a commitment to working with our partners to advance
seamless care that's provided where, when and how it's needed.
Every year, CHEO helps more than 500,000 children and youth from
Eastern Ontario, Western Québec,
Nunavut and Northern Ontario.
About Bell Let's Talk
The Bell Let's Talk mental
health initiative is focused on 4 key action pillars: Anti-stigma,
Care and Access, Research and Workplace Leadership. Since its
launch in September 2010, Bell Let's
Talk has partnered with more than 900 organizations providing
mental health services throughout Canada, including major donations
to hospitals, universities and other care and research
organizations. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Media inquiries:
Katrina Bussey
Acting Director of Communications
CHEO Foundation
613-738-3969
kbussey@cheofoundation.com
Jacqueline Michelis
Bell
613-785-1427
jacqueline.michelis@bell.ca
@Bell_LetsTalk
@Bell_News
SOURCE Bell Canada