(September 22, 2021, Ottawa, ON) — After 158 years of leading with a mission throughout the province of Alberta, Covenant Health has been awarded the designation of a Canadian Compassionate Company (CCC). This designation recognizes their commitment to having formal human resource policies in place to accommodate employees who may need to take time off work to care for a loved one.
Covenant Health provides quality health care to all Albertans. Its mission calls its people to serve with compassion, uphold the sanctity of life at all stages and serve the whole person in body, mind and spirit. “When we learned about the opportunity to become a Canadian Compassionate Company, we were overjoyed to know that our values of compassion would be recognized through an official designation,” said Conny Avila, Chief Innovation Officer at Covenant Health. “Our people are the key to upholding what we stand for, and we want to make sure this is reflected in our human resource policies.”
Covenant’s commitment to supporting caregivers and fostering compassionate communities, both internally and externally, is reflected in the Covenant Health Palliative Institute’s Palliative Care Public Awareness Project. Funded by an Alberta Health grant, the project seeks to help Albertans better understand palliative care and to build community support for people living with serious illness and those who care for them. Objectives of the project range from reducing the stigma around the topics of death and dying to supporting those involved in caring for people facing serious illnesses and their loved ones—all in keeping with the internationally recognized Compassionate Communities theory of practice.
Along with their Champion’s Council, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) created a tangible way to help recognize employers who support caregivers, as well as demonstrate the need for these types of initiatives in the workplace.
“It is important for the employee, their loved one, family, friends, community, and for Canada in general, to feel supported. At the end of the day, we should all strive to treat others with compassion,” states Russell Williams, CHPCA’s Champion’s Council Chair.
To become a Canadian Compassionate Company, an organization must have formal HR policies that support their employees when they may need to take time off to care for a loved one. Employers who meet three of five of the required criteria are being recognized for supporting their employees, their families, and their communities, and are viewed as a top place of employment.
If you are interested in becoming a CCC, visit chpca.ca/ccc.