In an in-depth conversation with CanadianSME, Dr. Matthew Chow, Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health, sheds light on his professional journey from a GP in Burnaby, BC, to leading mental health initiatives at a global healthcare leader. He provides an insightful overview of TELUS Health’s new service, Total Mental Health, a comprehensive, data-driven approach to workplace mental health support, designed to address the increasing mental health crisis in Canada. Dr. Matthew expresses his optimism for the program’s potential in improving recovery outcomes and discusses his proactive strategies to ensure the program’s effectiveness in the coming years.
Dr. Matthew Chow is Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health, a global health care leader and one of the largest providers of physical, mental, and financial wellbeing services in the world.
Could you share some insights about your journey, with over 20 years of experience in healthcare, how has this led to your role as the Chief Mental Health Officer at TELUS Health?
My career started in Burnaby, BC as a general practitioner supporting people suffering from mental health and substance use issues and then transitioned into a specialized career supporting a range of mental health issues, especially for youth and families. After a few years of providing consulting services at various BC hospitals, I took on progressively more senior roles at Doctors of BC culminating in a term as President during the COVID-19 pandemic. I started with TELUS Health last year as Chief Mental Health Officer and am pleased with the opportunity I now have to help people in Canada with all types of mental health concerns through the company’s revolutionary virtual care and digital health technologies.
TELUS Health recently launched Total Mental Health, a comprehensive service aimed at providing support to employees dealing with mental health issues. What are your thoughts on the key features of this program and how it is designed to aid employees?
TELUS Health’s new Total Mental Health offering is going to make a big difference in workplaces across Canada from a health and wellbeing perspective. Those who have access to this service through their employer benefits plans will see some of the most comprehensive mental health support available to anyone in Canada. This really is a vital new mental health and wellbeing service that has come at a pivotal time given the mental health crisis we are seeing.
Total Mental Health includes several key features that set it apart from other employee health services. It provides plan members with access to unlimited mental health support in-person, on the phone or virtually, and it gives them access to a dedicated care navigator and a vast network of counsellors to help them in their mental health journey. The ultimate goal of Total Mental Health is to give users a more personalized approach to mental health counseling and ensure there is consistency in the support they are receiving. In addition, its easy-to-use digital tools allow users to track mental health progress and receive regular feedback from care teams.
In what ways does Total Mental Health differ from the mental health services TELUS Health previously offered to employees through their benefits plan?
While all of the TELUS Health solutions for employers are focused on supporting employees’ overall wellbeing, Total Mental Health is the first to offer a combination of unlimited access to mental health care, personalized care journeys and care navigators who are present at every step of the journey, with the ability to access counselling in person, virtually, or by phone. Total Mental Health was built in response to the mental health crisis we are experiencing, and designed to meet employees where they are on their mental health journey, while giving them the flexibility to receive support in a way that best suits them – even if that changes along the way.
How do you envision Total Mental Health improving mental health outcomes in the country’s workplaces? What are your forecasts for the next 5 years in this regard?
The number of mental health issues reported by workers in Canada peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent TELUS Health Mental Health Index showed a modest improvement in mental health of Canadian workers from March to April 2023, but we have a long way to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels. The Index also found that two in five workers in Canada report having experienced a traumatic event that has had a lasting impact on their mental health, and four in five managers across Canada report that they are supporting at least one employee with a mental health issue.
I believe that we’ll continue to see improvements in the area of workplace mental health. While we may not see decreases in the total number of working people in Canada experiencing mental health concerns in the next five years, I think we will see more people reporting that their issues are being appropriately addressed and reporting better recovery outcomes. Total Mental Health represents a big step right now in getting employees the help they need whether they are experiencing a mild mental health concern or something more serious. And the technology and access to mental health support will not stop. TELUS Health, like many companies pushing advancements in digital health technologies, are going to find ways to further improve these supports.
Beyond the provisions offered through the benefits plan, how can employers provide further support to their staff experiencing mental health issues? What strategies would you recommend?
I’m a firm believer that health care services provided through a workplace benefits plan are only half the equation in supporting the health and wellbeing of an organization’s staff, especially with mental health. There are many ideas out there that are fairly well known at this point including the need for company leaders to be more proactive with staff who might be experiencing a mental health concern, the need for organizations to create a safe space for staff to communicate these concerns (psychological safety), and the need for regular communications on resources for staff on how they can access these types of supports. All of these are table stakes at this point.
But something that has emerged recently is the idea of having specific people at an organization that are dedicated to employee mental health. Many companies are now creating these roles with an example being the rise in Chief Wellbeing Officers. I think this is a good idea and something all organizations should be looking at. Having someone dedicated to supporting the mental health of employees, and being an on-demand resource for any questions staff have about these health needs, can go a long way. Similar to how HR professionals manage a wide range of administrative tasks at an office, having someone trained in supporting those with mental health needs, and directing them to care, should become the standard in Canadian workplaces. With employee mental health so pivotal to productivity and a company’s bottom line, there is a business case to be made for creating these new mental health support roles.
The launch of Total Mental Health is a significant milestone for TELUS Health. What aspect of this initiative excites you the most and why?
I have been fighting for better access to mental health services for my entire career. Total Mental Health represents a significant leap forward by making it easier to access help. There is one front door to access a team of caring professionals, including a dedicated care navigator to ensure you get the support and care you need. There are no limits to how much care you receive. If the rest of the mental health system were structured in this way, we could address the significant mental health and substance use challenges brought on by the pandemic, economic uncertainty and changing workplace. I’m proud that TELUS Health is overcoming the challenge of access in such a meaningful way.
As the Chief Mental Health Officer, how do you plan to monitor the effectiveness of Total Mental Health and ensure it continues to meet the needs of employees dealing with mental health challenges?
TELUS Health is a data-driven company, and one feature of Total Mental Health is that it provides employers with real-time insights about a workforce’s utilization of mental health support, to drive people strategies while ensuring complete employee confidentiality. It also gives employers a view into utilization trends to better understand what employees, as a group, need. With employers now equipped with more information, it will allow them to assess whether the service is making a quantitative and qualitative difference in employee mental health outcomes. If employers identify shortcomings, our TELUS Health team works with them to optimize the offering to ensure better mental health outcomes for their staff. Over time, I also expect companies will see an improvement to their bottom line. We know that poor mental health contributes to poor engagement, reduced performance and difficulties retaining skilled staff. Total Mental Health helps the overall business as much as it helps individuals.
