Introducing Canada's Most Comprehensive Resource to Aggregate Data on the Diverse Mental Health Needs of Youth Coast to Coast Français
GreenShield and Mental Health Research Canada are launching the Youth Mental Health Data Hub, delivering unparalleled insights into youth mental health.
The publicly available dashboard centralizes data from leading youth organizations to analyze key social and demographic factors and identify trends shaping the lives of young Canadians.
TORONTO, April 9, 2025 /CNW/ - With social and economic stressors on the rise, Canada's youth require tailored mental health solutions now more than ever. Yet, for too long youth have primarily been treated as a monolithic group, rather than a diverse population with a complex set of needs.
Despite the availability of services, 73% of youth who access mental health supports report that their needs are not fully met. It is with the distinct goal of improving the mental wellbeing of young Canadians, that GreenShield, Canada's only national non-profit health and benefits company, is partnering with Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) to launch the Youth Mental Health Data Hub (The Data Hub).
The Data Hub is the first resource to unite Canada's leading youth mental health datasets, offering a first-of-its-kind dashboard that provides a national snapshot of youth mental health. Updated on a quarterly basis and uniquely informed by young people themselves, the dashboard highlights their biggest challenges and connects to partner databases for deeper insights into the issues they face and the services they use.
The Data That's Changing the Conversation
The Data Hub's interactive dashboard harnesses robust insights from over 25,000 Canadians to provide a holistic view of youth mental health. This data dashboard reveals critical gaps in navigation, access, and affordability across diverse sociodemographic youth groups, including:
- 29% of youth do not access support they need because they are unsure sure how to
- 18% of racialized youth struggle to find culturally sensitive care
- 30% of students cannot afford mental health support
"As a non-profit, GreenShield is committed to tackling Canada's most pressing health challenges with data-driven solutions that advance our mission of Better Health for All. As a purpose-driven company, we have a responsibility to close the gaps in youth mental healthcare, and that starts with data," said Zahid Salman, President & CEO, GreenShield. "Our Youth Mental Health initiative is built on a foundation of evidence, ensuring scalable, sustainable solutions that drive real impact. The Youth Mental Health Data Hub is a critical first step—helping us better understand young people's needs so we can connect them to the right care, at the right time."
The Data Hub is a publicly available resource designed to:
- Provide insights into key subgroups: Including youth of colour, LGBTQ2S+ youth, students, and household income, helping identify barriers to care.
- Highlight critical gaps: Addressing the urgent need for better navigation, access, and affordability in youth mental health care.
- Find solutions for long term change: Spotlight gaps in youth mental health services to drive effective solutions that can be scaled over time.
"This Data Hub is a unique and powerful resource that will allow stakeholders to better understand the mental health needs of Canada's youth. By having access to current research data from many leading, credible organizations as well as information from youth themselves – organizations, governments and other stakeholders will be empowered to gain deeper insight into supporting the mental health of young Canadians. We celebrate the leadership of GreenShield in their collaborative approach to making data easily accessible to support evidence-based decision making for youth mental health," said Akela Peoples, CEO, MHRC.
Not only will The Data Hub be a publicly available resource to policy makers, researchers and educators, it will inform GreenShield's Youth Mental Health initiative to expand access, integrate innovative care solutions, and ensure Canadians between the ages of 15 and 29 receive timely, culturally appropriate support.
In collaboration with leading youth mental health organizations, GreenShield will make mental health support more accessible and equitable for youth.
"By bringing together like-minded partners, GreenShield is spearheading a collective effort to transform the mental health landscape—ensuring that all youth, regardless of their background or circumstances, have access to the support they need to thrive," said Mandy Mail, Executive Vice President, Head of GreenShield Cares. "Addressing youth mental health is critical because the formative years are when lifelong habits and coping mechanisms are developed. Providing timely, effective, and culturally appropriate support can prevent long-term mental health challenges and empower young Canadians to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives."
The Data Hub is a crucial first step in GreenShield's Youth Mental Health Signature Initiative, to inform the solutions that enable Canadians to receive the right mental health support at the right time. Further announcements will be shared later this year as GreenShield expands its initiative to drive impact nationwide.
About GreenShield
As Canada's only national non-profit health and benefits company, GreenShield believes health care is a right, not a privilege. We're dedicated to improving health outcomes, driving systemic change, and building a future where every Canadian can reach their full health and well-being potential.
We are revolutionizing the health and benefits experience with coverage and care in one place. Through our unique integrated payer-provider ("payvider") model, offering insurance, administering benefits and paying claims as a 'payer' while offering health services such as mental health, pharmacy, telemedicine and chronic disease management as a 'provider'.
As a non-profit social enterprise without shareholders, we prioritize and reinvest our excess earnings to directly support underserved communities. Through GreenShield Cares, we've committed $75 million to improve the health of over one million Canadians by the end of 2025, focusing on mental health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management. Our scalable initiatives deliver meaningful change in pursuit of Better Health for All.
GreenShield is proud to be recognized as one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures, a leading Imagine Canada Caring Company, and named on the Fortune's Change the World list.
About Mental Health Research Canada
Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) is a national charity dedicated to improving mental health in Canada. Mental health systems and services cannot improve without research - it is essential to understand needs and create real solutions. MHRC prioritizes meaningful engagement with communities and Canadians with lived experience to ensure research reflects real needs and leads to impactful solutions.
We advance mental health through collaborative partnerships, studentships, seed funding, and data collection and analysis. MHRC monitors the mental health of Canadians and reports on it to governments and stakeholders nationally to support data-informed decision-making on what people need and how Canada's services are performing.
Visit www.mhrc.ca for useful data and insights.
SOURCE GreenShield
Media contacts: GreenShield, Madeline Salerno, Communications Manager, [email protected], 416-523-5474; Mental Health Research Canada Brittany Saab, Senior Communications Manager, [email protected]
Share this article