Canada Awards for Excellence
Recipient ProfileLeeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
2023 Gold Recipient
Mental Health at Work
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is a small, primarily rural, local public health agency located in eastern Ontario, responsible for the delivery of public health services to the community. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the well-being and resilience of employees, who reported high levels of stress, trauma, and burnout. A mental health at work journey was initiated as part of the pandemic recovery planning process, in order to provide immediate supports for employees and put a strategic foundation in place to build upon for the future. Management and employee champions worked together to complete a situational assessment, MH@W logic model and plan, regular information emails, and advocate to management for enhanced workplace training and supports.
In the spring of 2023, the Health Unit was rewarded for its efforts by receiving Gold Level in Mental Health at Work.
MH@W planning: Mental Health at Work Champions came together to identify what areas of workplace mental health they are interested in supporting, and to develop plans to improve employee mental health and wellbeingÂ
“Congratulations to everyone at the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit! This is an important strategic initiative as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and focus on the mental health, well-being and resiliency of our employees into the future. We have built and enhanced so many things through this work—for example, self-care days, EFAP benefits, employee education, and the Neighbour-at-Work program. I’m looking forward to the next steps we’ll be taking together.”