GUELPH, ON, Oct. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - The Co-operators, in partnership with WorldCare International, Inc., is proud to announce the launch of a research program that will provide participants and their physicians with an in-depth mental health medical second opinion (MSO). The MSO seeks to provide members with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns with a comprehensive and fully-customized evaluation so that they have the information, resources and guidance needed to make optimal mental healthcare decisions with confidence.

"Mental health continues to be the number one cause of disability in Canada, affecting one in every five Canadians," explains Rob Wesseling, President and CEO, The Co-operators. "As a group benefits provider, our partnership with WorldCare is an important step towards an innovative solution that can provide our plan members with an accurate diagnosis that can help them get the care they need."  

Mental health issues can be complex, the mental health MSO will validate a diagnosis and provide treatment plan recommendations in addition to insight and resources for other possible approaches to help optimize the patient's outcome. This process will be conducted by the collective expertise of leading mental health specialists at top-ranked hospitals within The WorldCare Consortium®. These teams will provide a mental health MSO that is laser-focused on the conditions that can be most positively impacted by this level of clinically-rich, deep intervention. This ultimately provides the participant and their physician with the information and resources needed to make informed decisions about their continued care. All while, collecting and measuring the impact.

"Mental illness takes an enormous toll in Canada," stated Dr. Richard Heinzl, Global Medical Director, WorldCare. "It is imperative that individuals and families have access to proper medical guidance as they cope with mental health problems. WorldCare and The Co-operators are pioneering new ways to bring such care to Canadians."

About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $48 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. 
The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt and Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. For more information, visit www.cooperators.ca.

About WorldCare International, Inc.:
WorldCare's mission is to improve healthcare outcomes of members worldwide by connecting them to the foremost medical experts at top-ranked U.S. hospitals. WorldCare fulfills its mission by using a unique virtual medical guidance approach, which digitally recreates the experience of a person walking into the leading medical institutions in the United States, providing the highest-touch coaching, medical second opinions available worldwide. For more information, visit www.worldcare.com.

SOURCE The Co-operators