A Unique Mental Health Project Launched in Quebec Thanks to RBC Royal Bank
13 February 2018
As part of the 28th edition of National Suicide Prevention Week, the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Foundation wished to acknowledge the generosity of RBC Royal Bank which donated $500,000 to support the implementation of a mental health first aid training program intended for adults who work with east end Montréal youth. A first in Quebec!
Higher levels of poverty and vulnerability in east end Montréal foster a greater prevalence of mental health issues and an increased risk of suicidal behaviours, namely in youth. The training program supported by RBC Royal Bank draws on a desire to rethink services for 12-25-year-old’s struggling with suicide-related issues by providing better tools for community players in the field in order to counter this phenomenon.
Yvan Gendron, President & CEO of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and Julie Provencher, Director of the Youth Program and Public Health Activities, were present during the announcement and expressed their deep gratitude to RBC Royal Bank, whose donation will have a major impact. An impact that workers in the field, those who are in the best position to understand the scope of daily needs, look upon with great favour: “What a relief to know that very soon, that feeling of powerlessness will be lessened when youths leave our office and we don’t know how things will play out for them going forward. It is reassuring to know that in many other environments, there will be trained people to give them a hand,” said two professionals in the field.
The HMR Foundation is very grateful to be able to count on the support of RBC Royal Bank in an area where needs are so pressing. “Thanks to this generous donation from RBC Royal Bank, we will enable community players to promptly recognize at-risk youth and provide them with better support, declared Pierre Nelis, President of the HMR Foundation Board of Directors. I wish to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their invaluable support. This donation will have such a significant impact as it transforms real lives over the next few years.”
“I see this as a structuring project that makes the most of every existing resource to combat mental health issues in an innovative way. Indeed, I would like to acknowledge the visionary spirit of our hospital partners who implemented this project in Quebec,” said Nadine Renaud-Tinker, President, Quebec Headquarters, RBC Royal Bank.
