OTTAWA – Bell is spearheading a multi-year charitable program to support mental health initiatives across the country, and has signed Olympic speed skater Clara Hughes as its spokesperson.
At an event Tuesday in Ottawa, the telco giant announced that its five year, $50 million initiative will support a range of programs – from community care and access, to workplace health, and research – in order to enhance mental health in every aspect of Canadian life.
Bell president and CEO, George Cope, said that mental illness affects Canadians more than any other major disease yet receives less funding than almost any other.
“Mental illness impacts every person in Canada in some way, causes immense personal suffering and takes a heavy toll on our national economy”, he said in a statement. “The health care community has worked hard to address the impact of mental illness, but public understanding of the disease remains low and mental health support needs to accelerate. Bell will work to reduce the stigma still associated with mental illness while enabling practical programs supporting new research and improved access to mental health care.”
Bell also announced that the first annual ‘Bell Let’s Talk Day’ has been set for February 9, 2011. For every text message sent and every long distance call made by Bell customers that day, Bell will donate 5 cents to programs dedicated to mental health.
