Dynacare names Canadian Mental Health Association as 2016-2017 Lead Charity

Brampton, Ontario (Sept. 20, 2016) – Dynacare is pleased to announce the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has been chosen as its 2016-2017 Lead Charity. Each September, Dynacare employees choose a Canadian charity for the company to support through its Lead Charity program, which aims to positively impact lives by promoting health and wellness and building stronger communities. Since its inception in 2012, our Lead Charity Program has donated more than $135,000 to Canadian charities including Pancreatic Cancer Canada, Mood Disorders Society of Canada, The Lung Association, and Lymphoma Canada.

“Our mission of supporting healthy lives with commitment and care is at the heart of everything we do at Dynacare,” said Naseem Somani, President and CEO, Dynacare. “We are thrilled to partner with CMHA in their fight against stigmatization of mental illness and to help make a meaningful difference in communities across Canada.”

Dynacare will support the CMHA with a $25,000 donation, which will be directed towards ensuring the CMHA’s Get Loud for Mental Health school toolkit and other Get Loud resources are available across Canada to schoolchildren, teachers and parents.

“We are thrilled and so appreciative that Dynacare employees have selected the Canadian Mental Health Association as their Lead Charity,” said Dr. Patrick Smith, CEO of Canadian Mental Health Association. “This funding will not only teach children how to navigate their emotions through mental health literacy, and help make them safer, but will also increase awareness among educators and parents, assisting them in advocating for comprehensive mental health education.”

According to the CMHA, mental illness is one of the top issues negatively affecting youth. Only one out of five children in Canada who need mental health services receives them. The CMHA estimates that 20 per cent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.

“We’re pleased to help ensure children and youth have access to resources that support their mental health and wellbeing through our Lead Charity partnership with the CMHA,” said Scott Hickey, Vice-President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Dynacare. “Our corporate giving program is central to the way Dynacare gives back to and strengthens the communities where our employees live and work.”

In addition to the $25,000 donation, Dynacare employees will support the CMHA throughout the year through various special events and mental health awareness initiatives.

Dynacare has a robust corporate giving program that includes both our Lead Charity and Community Outreach programs.

About Canadian Mental Health Association, National

Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is one of Canada’s oldest not-for-profit organizations. With more than 10,000 staff and volunteers in hundreds of communities across Canada, CMHA provides vital services and support to well over half a million Canadians every year. As the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience and support recovery from mental illness.

For more information, please visit cmha.ca or connect on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to learn more!

About Dynacare

Supporting healthy lives with commitment and care. By living this mission, Dynacare will achieve its vision of becoming Canada’s health and wellness solutions leader.

Dynacare (formerly Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories) is one of Canada’s largest providers of health and wellness solutions, with a history that spans more than 50 years. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, the company has operations in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Every year, Dynacare takes care of more than 10 million Canadians through the accurate and timely delivery of laboratory test results and other health-related services to patients, physicians, healthcare facilities and companies in a wide range of industries. www.dynacare.ca

For more information contact:
Rebecca Skinner
Manager, Corporate Communications
SkinnerR@dynacare.ca
800.668.2714 x 5931 or 647.291.6475