Dialogue Launches the First Virtual Multidisciplinary Mental Health Program in Canada

Mental health in the workplace is a growing concern for employers

Montreal, QC (Oct. 10, 2019) – Dialogue is launching phase II of its Stress Management and Well-Being program. The new program, now available to all employers in Canada, builds on Dialogue’s full suite of virtual healthcare services to offer cross-functional resources to employers who wish to provide proactive and convenient mental health and healthcare support to their employees. Phase I of the mental health program was developed over the course of the last year in partnership with industry leaders like SSQ Insurance who made the service available to their employees.

Informed by thousands of mental health consultations in its first phase, the Stress Management and Well-Being program is the first virtual program to be supported by a multidisciplinary and cross-functional care team. Dialogue ensures that patients have access to psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers and doctors, nurses and medical specialists, all working together as a team to offer a personalized treatment plan and provide the right resource at the right time in response to the patients’ needs.

“Dialogue’s new expanded mental health program is a perfect example of how new technologies can improve access to quality care by making prevention a key component and by adapting the use of technologies to ease the stigma still associated with mental health illness,” said Dr. Julien Martel, Chief Medical Officer, Dialogue.

“On World Mental Health Day, we are proud to officially launch the first proactive and multidisciplinary solution to all employers who want to take on the growing issue of mental health in the workplace,” said Anna Chif, Dialogue co-founder and Chief Strategy & Product Officer. “More and more employers want to offer better and easy to access support to prevent and treat mental illness. We are proud to have developed a program with outstanding results specifically tailored to respond to the workplace mental health needs.”

“We are pleased to have been able to contribute to the development of Dialogue’s Stress Management and Well-Being program,” added Éric Trudel, Senior Vice-President of Strategy and Product Management at SSQ Insurance. “Mental health issues are at the root of many issues and represent, as an insurer, a major concern. We continually seek to provide relevant tools and deploy innovative solutions that will contribute to the well-being of our policyholders.”

Results from Phase I of Dialogue’s Stress Management and Well-Being program have been overwhelmingly positive, exceeding the expectations of employers looking for an effective support system that proactively screens and quickly treats mental health issues in the workplace.

Stress Management and Well-Being program phase I key data points:

• Dialogue facilitated thousands of virtual consultations during Phase I of its program.
• The stress management assessment questionnaire can be completed online in 4 minutes.
  • Based on their mental health condition, patients can come back at their convenience to receive support.
  • 100% of patients said that the program was easy to fit in their schedule.
• Up to 20% of patients that had access to the first phase of the program reached out to assess their risk of suffering from high stress levels, anxiety or depression.
• Patients who consulted with signs and symptoms of depression who received multidisciplinary treatment had a mean improvement of 55% based on the PHQ-9 assessment tool during an average length of treatment of 7 weeks.
  • 100% of these patients noticed improvements to their condition.
  • After treatment, 96% of patients were very satisfied with the care they received.
• To meet with the ever-growing mental health needs of employees in Canada, Dialogue will continue hiring dozens of psychologists and psychotherapists.

Dialogue’s Stress Management and Well-Being program is based on 4 key pillars:

• Scientific proactive screening delivered to all using the Dialogue app;
• A multidisciplinary and multi-channel approach centered around the patient’s needs;
• High-touch, habit-forming approach to decrease stress levels;
• Close, personalized follow-ups to ensure treatment adherence.

With the increased need for stress management and mental health support, more organizations are looking for alternatives to better address the mental health needs of their employees. Proactively providing mental health support and prevention offers opportunity to attract and retain talent, reduce absenteeism and promote productivity.

About Dialogue

Dialogue is a virtual platform offering integrated health care services for employers to keep their employees happy, healthy, and performing at their highest potential. A full range of health professionals (nurses, physicians and allied health practitioners) are available at the click of a button via mobile phone or computer to help employees optimize their work-life balance. To learn more, visit dialogue.co.

About SSQ Insurance

Founded in 1944, SSQ Insurance is a mutualist company that puts the community at the heart of insurance. With assets under management of $12 billion, SSQ Insurance is one of the largest companies in the industry. Working for a community of over three million customers, SSQ Insurance employs 2,000 people. Leader in group insurance, the company also sets itself apart through its expertise in individual life and health insurance, general insurance and the investment sector. For more information, visit ssq.ca.

SOURCE: Dialogue Technologies Inc.

Tags: Dialogue, industry first, launch, mental health care, SSQ Insurance, virtual health care Read the original article at Insurance-Canada.ca