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Diversified Rehabilitation Group wins CMHA’s 2018 Workplace Excellence Award

Vancouver, March 14, 2018 – Diversified Rehabilitation Group (DRG), a rehabilitation and disability management company based in Kelowna, BC, has received the 2018 Workplace Excellence Award from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

The award was presented by Dr. Patrick Smith, national CEO of CMHA, at the 15th annual Bottom Line Conference in Vancouver, B.C. today. Each year, the Workplace Excellence Award (formerly known as the C.M. Hincks Award) is presented to an organization that has advanced mental health by reducing stigma and discrimination, addressing social justice and the social determinants of health, and maintaining and/or improving mental health for all.

It was in 2008 that DRG first made the commitment to build a mentally healthier workplace. Since then, the organization has made significant changes to their workplace to ensure psychological health and safety for all. Some of these initiatives include offering wellness days for all employees, committing to weekly check-ins and offering monthly lunch and learns to the team.

“We applaud DRG for these important initiatives in the workplace. We spend a significant amount of time at work, and DRG has done an exceptional job ensuring their employees are thriving both in and out of the office,” said Smith.

Since these changes have been made at the Diversified Rehabilitation Group, they have seen significant decreases in disability costs and improvements in employee morale. The workplace is a supportive one, where employees are encouraged to openly discuss mental health, just as they would physical health.

“We are very honoured to receive this award. What started as a mission to achieve greater work-life balance evolved into a wellness journey throughout the entire organization,” says Derek Sienko, CEO of Diversified Rehabilitation Group. “In building a mentally healthy workplace for our company, we have grown mentally stronger as individuals, too. Now, our team is able to teach and support many members of our community.”

The Bottom Line Conference is part of CMHA’s newly formed Workforce Mental Health Collaborative. The Collaborative provides training, information resources, and consultation services to support employers, unions and employees with improving employee mental health, preventing mental illness and addiction, and providing the necessary tools and supports for employees with mental health and addiction challenges.


About the Canadian Mental Health Association

Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most established, most extensive community mental health organization in Canada. Through a presence in more than 330 communities across every province, CMHA provides advocacy, programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive. For more information, visit www.cmha.ca


For more information please contact:

Katherine Janson National Director of Communications (416) 646-5557 ext. 24923 [email protected]