Mental health is a tricky subject when it comes to accessibility. In the U.S., companies like AT&T have created employment opportunities for veterans, who have a very difficult time finding post-service employment.
But what about Canadians? Out of a fear of being stigmatized, of the one in five Canadians who will be diagnosed with mental illness in their lifetime, only one of every three will seek help. Meanwhile, over 500,000 people miss work every day due to the effects of their struggle with the symptoms mental illness. It is an invisible disability that comes in many forms, and it strangles the life away from silent victims caught in a society that many fear doesn’t understand their condition.
This is one of the four reasons that Bell, a leading communications provider in Canada, created the “Bell Let’s Talk” program in 2010. The stigma surrounding the mentally is poisonous, and Bell is using its lofty position to get Canadians talking to reduce that stigma. Most recently, Bell addressed the issue through the philanthropic social media campaign #bellLetsTalk in February, and now through a partnership with True Patriot Love, a foundation dedicated to providing Canadian veterans and their families with service the government simply can’t offer.
Announced today in a press release, the partnership stands to support military families through the Bell True Patriot Love Fund, a program that exists to provide those who fought for their country and their families with accessible mental healthcare through the distribution of $250,000 annually in grants.
Open between April 30 and July 28, 2013, for applications by military family resource centers seeking funding, the grants will be doled out in denominations between $5,000 and $25,000. The allocation of the grants will be carefully managed and administrated by True Patriot Love.
The focus of the program is to bring enhanced mental health treatment to military families, many of whom live in remote parts of Canada and small communities. MFRCs are the best way to reach those the fund was created to benefit, since they provide community based solutions and supports.
With this partnership, Bell will further expand its legacy of mental health support, having already committed over $62 million to Canadian mental health – a figure that might give pause to even the staunchest detractors, who have argued that a corporate created awareness day with a large communications company standing to profit from this sort of publicity is cynical.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
