Canucks Build Awareness for Mental Health and Wellness Through “Hockey Talks”

Vancouver, BC – The Vancouver Canucks will host their fourth annual Hockey Talks day on February 6, 2016, to encourage a conversation about mental health. The Canucks will dedicate this game night to bringing awareness to mental health and offering fans the opportunity to get involved through social media. The Canucks Hockey Talks event is part of an effort with the other Canadian NHL clubs where each will dedicate one of their game nights from Jan. 26-Feb. 29 to bringing awareness to mental health in an attempt to provide information from experts and alleviate some of the misconceptions and stigma associated with mental illness.

The schedule for Hockey Talks nights by Canadian NHL clubs is as follows:

#HOCKEYTALKS SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Fans will also have the opportunity to lend their voices through social media by using the hashtag #HockeyTalks. Personal photos can be uploaded on Canucks.com to get a Hockey Talks overlay. Social media messages using the hashtag can appear as part of an online mosaic to showcase a united voice. Further details will be made available shortly on Canucks.com/hockeytalks.

CANUCKS SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES

The Vancouver Canucks will host BC Children’s Hospital’s third annual “Balancing Our Minds”, a free one-day workshop for 1,500 high school aged youth in BC to learn about mental health and engage in fun activities and thoughtful dialogue on Feb. 11, 2016. The team also, in conjunction with Fraser Health and Provincial Health Services Authority, and BC Children’s Hospital, re-launch mindcheck.ca, a website focused on providing free mental health resources for youth, in 2010. Since the re-launch, mindcheck.ca has had over 428,000 visitors and nearly 217,000 people have taken self-assessment quizzes.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FACTS

• In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental health or addiction problem.(1)
• 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.(2)
• Mental illness is a leading cause of disability in Canada.(3, 4, 5)
• A growing body of international evidence demonstrates that promotion, prevention, and early intervention initiatives show positive returns on investment in this health sector.(4, 6)

SOURCES

1. Smetanin et al (2011). The life and economic impact of major mental illnesses in Canada: 2011-2041.
2. Government of Canada (2006). The human face of mental health and mental illness in Canada.
3. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (2015). Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, 2013.
4. Mental Health Commission of Canada (2014). Why investing in mental health will contribute to Canada’s economic prosperity and to the sustainability of our health care system.
5. Lim et al (2008). A new population-based measure of the burden of mental illness in Canada.
6. Canadian Policy Network (2011). Return on investment: Mental health promotion and mental illness prevention.