New Report Shows Integrated Digital Care Breaking Through Barriers to Mental Health for Young Canadians Français
TORONTO, Aug. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - A new report from GreenShield reveals that digital care is transforming mental health outcomes for young Canadians. At the heart of this transformation is GreenShield+, a first-of-its-kind digital health and benefits platform that brings health coverage and care together in one seamless experience.
According to GreenShield's new Health Outcomes Report: Measuring Better Health for All, more than half of Canadians under 35 who accessed digital therapy through GreenShield+ recovered from symptoms of anxiety (52%) and depression (51%)—after just three sessions. As youth mental health challenges continue to rise, the report highlights how combining health services and benefits into one integrated experience is driving real, measurable improvements.
"Young Canadians are telling us—through both data and lived experience—that the current system isn't consistently meeting their needs," said Zahid Salman, President and CEO of GreenShield. "This report affirms what drives us at GreenShield: the future of health care must be integrated, inclusive, and accountable. By uniting coverage and care into one seamless experience, we're not just improving access – we're improving health outcomes for Canadians of all ages."
Key insights:
- Young Canadians are Engaged: In Q2 2025, nearly 800,000 claims and appointments were handled through GreenShield+. Almost 1 in 3 users were under 35, showing strong demand among younger Canadians.
- Faster Relief Through Virtual Care: Within GreenShield+, 92 per cent of health issues were resolved in a single virtual health care visit, offering frictionless access for Canadians balancing work, school and life.
- Digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Works: After just three sessions of digital CBT, over half of users under 35 reported recovery from symptoms of anxiety (52%) and depression (51%).
- Smart Therapist Matching: The advanced therapist-matching tool in GreenShield+ helps users access a counsellor within 24 hours, with a 93 per cent satisfaction rate.
- Better Medication Adherence: GreenShield delivered 6 per cent higher medication adherence rates than industry averages, including adherence rates of 92 per cent for asthma and 84 per cent for mental health medications.
"Integrated digital care is fundamentally reshaping mental health outcomes for Canadians—not only by expanding access to services, but by delivering care that is personalized, data-informed, and responsive to individual needs," said Dr. Andrew Bond, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at GreenShield. "The findings in our report reaffirm our conviction that when care systems are connected and coordinated, they don't just improve outcomes—they empower people, strengthen communities, and transform lives."
A national commitment to youth mental health
As Canada's only national non-profit health and benefits company, GreenShield is doubling down on its mission of Better Health for All. Earlier this year, it launched a new social impact initiative focused on transforming youth mental health care for Canadians aged 15 to 29.
A cornerstone of this initiative is GreenShield's Youth Mental Health Data Hub, Canada's most comprehensive resource providing diverse datasets on youth mental health, developed in partnership with Mental Health Research Canada. The Hub provides real-time insights, available free of charge to inform policy, research, and care delivery
Later this year, GreenShield will launch a comprehensive youth mental health solution, designed to tackle the biggest barriers young people face: care navigation, equitable access, and affordability.
By uniting coverage and care in one platform, GreenShield is not just supporting youth more effectively—it's redefining what's possible for the next generation.
Coverage and care, all in one place
Canadians spend 2.5 times more time navigating health care and benefits than actually receiving care. GreenShield+ is changing that.
As the first-of-its-kind digital health and benefits ecosystem, GreenShield+ streamlines the health care journey, bringing health benefits and health care services including mental health services, telemedicine, pharmacy and chronic disease management into one integrated and easy-to-use platform.
With GreenShield+, users can check coverage, access care, and get reimbursed—all in one place. It's a simpler, smarter way to support better health that helps Canadians spend less time navigating the healthcare system and more time taking care of their health.
To read GreenShield's full Health Outcomes Report, visit: https://grnshld.com/HO2025Aug
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, we offer insurance, administer benefits and pay 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.
SOURCE GreenShield
For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Sarah Mortimer, Communications Manager, [email protected] | 647-221-9037
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