Pacific Northwest Economic Region Annual Meeting PNWER Health Care Working Group

Mental Health and Addictions in the Workplace
SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM

Held: Sunday July 18th,
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Calgary, Alberta
12:30pm to 5:00pm

Symposium Overview

In order to better understand Mental Health & Addictions in the Workplace, the PNWER Health Care Working Group hosted a half day session in conjunction with the annual PNWER summit. This session brought together key policy experts, decision makers, clinicians, and business leaders, and provided the opportunity for dialogue around this issue.

Mental health and psychological health and safety issues affecting the workplace generally include a wide range of problems such as anxiety, depression, stress and burnout. Many kinds of addictions also can impact the workplace, including substance-based problems of abuse of alcohol, drugs, or prescription medications and behavior-based addictions involving gambling, sex, food, work and other areas. All combined, these concerns affect about 1 in 3 adults over their lifetime and about 1 in 10 workers or their family members each year.

Attendees were provided a Resource Guide (which can be accessed here) and a smaller Information Bulletin (which can be accessed here). To access further information on the PNWER Health Care Working Group, please visit the website.

(To access a printable version of the Agenda, please click here)

12:30 - 1:00: Lunch and Greetings

Greetings on behalf of PNWER Health Care Working Group / John Sproule, Co-Chair of PNWER Health Care Working Group & Institute of Health Economics

1:00 - 1:45 Opening Address: Trends in Mental Health in the Workplace: Psychologically Healthy Workplaces

Dr. Ian Arnold - Chair, Workplace Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (Ottawa)
Powerpoint Presentation

1:45 - 3:00: What Does the Science Tell Us?

Dr. Mark Attridge - Attridge Consulting (Minneapolis)
Topic: Addictions in the North American Workplace: A Research Review
Powerpoint Presentation

Dr. Gus Thompson - Institute of Health Economics (Edmonton)
Topic: Some Things That Employers Need to Know About Mental Health & Addictions: New Survey Results From IHE Research
Powerpoint Presentation

Professor JianLi Wang - Faculty of Psychiatry & Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary (Calgary)
Topic: Stigma and the (Mis)Understanding of Depression: Research on Mental Health Literacy
Powerpoint Presentation

3:00 - 3:15: BREAK

3:15 - 4:30 Section Two: Employer Responses and New Resources

Dr. Merv Gilbert - Gilbert-Acton Consulting (Vancouver)
Topic: Guarding Minds @ Work: A Workplace Guide to Psychological Safety and Health
Powerpoint Presentation

Chris Hylton - Hylton & Associates (Calgary) & Board of EASNA
Topic: The Role of Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAP) and the EASNA 2009 Purchasers' Guide to EAP
Powerpoint Presentation

Dr. Ann Malain - Human Solutions EFAP (Toronto & Vancouver)
Topic: Employer Case Example of SAE/SAP Workplace Drug Testing & Support in Alberta
Powerpoint Presentation

Response Panel:

Cathy Pryce - Alberta Health Services (Calgary)
Professor Roger Palmer - Faculty of Business, University of Alberta (Edmonton)

4:30 - 5:00: Open Discussion & Review

Open Discussion with Faculty & Audience
Final Comments

5:15: Reception

Biographies

Ian Arnold, MD, FRCP, Chair, Workplace Committee - Canada Mental Health Commission
Dr. Arnold completed his M. D. at Queen's University at Kingston in 1968 and was certified in general surgery in 1973. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Board of Occupational Medicine (FCBOM); a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (FRCPC - Occupational Medicine); a Certified Environmental Auditor (CEA), and a Registered Safety Professional (CRSP). He is also a past president of both the CBOM and the OEMAC.

Mark Attridge, PhD, MA, President, Attridge Consulting, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN USA)
Mark is an independent research scholar and president of Attridge Consulting, Inc. He is a co-recipient of the 2009 Member of the Year Award from the Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA). He has a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Arts in Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Merv Gilbert, PhD, R. Psych, Partner, Gilbert Acton Ltd. (Vancouver, BC Canada)
Dr. Gilbert has worked as a psychologist for over twenty years. He is active in teaching and research, and has consulted, published, and lectured extensively. He holds academic appointments at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, and serves in an advisory capacity for various not-for-profit bodies.

Chris Hylton, MA, Principal, Hylton & Associates (Calgary, AB Canada)
Chris has over 20 years experience in benefits and pensions, Chris is ready to tackle the toughest issues. Chris has appeared on CBC's The National discussing the funding of the Canada Pension Plan and has been often quoted in the media on HR and benefit issues.

Ann Malain, PhD, Regional Director and Practice Lead Substance Abuse Services, Human Solutions (Toronto, Canada).
Dr. Malain is a licensed psychologist who has over 20 years experience in the areas of EAP, community mental health, substance abuse services, private practice, and college counselling. Dr. Malain is currently the National Manager, Substance Abuse & Assessment Service for Human Solutions in which she oversees Human Solutions' substance abuse services, fitness to work assessments and return to work treatment services

Roger Palmer, PhD, Professor, School of Business, University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB Canada)
Dr. Palmer earning a BSc (Honours) from the University of London, a Graduate Certificate in Education from Cambridge University, and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Alberta. In 2001, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Environment. In 2002, Dr. Palmer was appointed Deputy Minister of Alberta Health and Wellness. In 2009 he returned to the Business School at the University of Alberta as Director of the MBA Public Management stream.

Cathy Pryce, RN, VP, Addictions and Mental Health, Alberta Health Services, University of Calgary (Calgary, AB Canada).
Catherine Pryce holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Nursing degree from the University of Calgary. Cathy is responsible for providing the vision and leadership to a diverse team in the development, design and implementation of provincial Addiction and Mental Health in support of the vision, mission and business plan of Alberta Health Services.

John Sproule, Senior Policy Director, Institute for Health Economics (Edmonton, AB Canada)
From 1998 to 2005 John worked with Merck Frosst Canada Ltd in health and industry policy planning (including secondment to Merck Sharpe & Dohme Australia). Prior to that John worked with Alberta Health and Wellness as Director of the Office of the Deputy Minister of Health, working with the Ministry from 1987 to 1998 in managing significant policy and legislative changes in the Alberta health system. He has served on many federal/provincial committees in health and as a Board member with a number of health policy academic associations including Canadian Health Economics Research Association and the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research. 

Angus Thompson, PhD, Researcher, Institute of Health Economics (Edmonton, AB Canada)
Dr. Thompson has contributed over 30 years as a clinical psychologist, research scientist, senior administrator, and university professor. He completed his doctorate in psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry in the University of London. Employment history includes affiliations with the Alberta Department of Health, the University of Alberta, Flinders University in Australia, and currently, the Institute of Health Economics.

JianLi Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Community Health, University of Calgary (Calgary, AB Canada).
Dr. Wang has a PhD in Epidemiology. He is a CIHR New Investigator Award recipient and has been doing research in the epidemiology of mental disorders in workplaces, prevention and mental health literacy.

Support for this session has been provided by Norlien Foundation, Institute of Health Economics, Eli Lilly, Merck and PNWER.