How has COVID-19 affected mental health? Beth Frazier, chief operating officer for health at CG Insurance, describes what the global pandemic has done to our state of wellness and what CG Insurance is doing to combat it.
Many observers have declared that we have entered a “mental health crisis,” and statistics have illustrated that the pandemic has negatively affected many people’s mental health and wellness. The causes are understood to result from job losses, diminished pay cheques, economic displacement and lost opportunities, isolation due to lockdowns and social distancing and the profound impact of grief for loved ones lost. Mental health referrals around the world and here in Bermuda are soaring. Individuals, families and even companies have to stop and assess how to best navigate this current state of emergency.
For over a decade, CG Insurance has embraced the concept of wellness to help their clients, their families and their staff through their innovative wellness programme, Zest Wellness. Zest Wellness was born out of the belief that a core element of any company’s business strategy should include the desire to support every aspect of their people’s health. According to Beth Frazier, chief operating officer for health at CG Insurance, it was easy to see that the development of the Zest Wellness programme was essential to their business and embodied their people-first mission. But never were the staff at CG Insurance so grateful for the establishment of their Zest Wellness programme than when the pandemic hit.
The focus of the Zest Wellness programme has always been holistic in nature and following the first lockdown in March 2020, its resources were redirected. With the goal to support the community’s need for mental wellness, CG Insurance hosted virtual events, webinars and podcasts accessible to all through the CG Zest Wellness site (www.cgzestwellness.com) with no obligation of membership. By November 2020, CG Insurance had established and introduced an Employee Assistance Programme as a value-added benefit to provide increased mental wellness support to eligible members with comprehensive health insurance coverage. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free 24-7 service offering member support for any work or personal issue. The programme is confidential, providing counselling and access to various resources to help people manage their emotional, practical and physical needs.
With the New Year came the hope that the island was past the worst, only to enter another lockdown, bringing with it a second wave of stress and pressure as schools closed and many parents juggled the dynamics of working and teaching their children from home. It was obvious that both parents and children were struggling to cope and needed access to additional support. CG Insurance partnered with Benedict Associates to create a 4-part webinar series, “Parenting Through a Pandemic,” that catered to parents seeking help for themselves and offered tools to guide their children during this difficult time. The webinar series was free and open to anyone locally who felt they could benefit from it.
In today’s climate, it’s more important than ever for companies to identify ways to provide health and wellness support to their staff members. And according to the chief executive officer of CG Insurance, Naz Farrow, “Our clients’ well-being largely depends on the well-being of the communities in which they live. The healthier we are as a community, the better for everyone.” While the pandemic has added pressure to our everyday lives, it has also inspired many organisations to assess the role they can play in alleviating those stressors. The staff at CG Insurance are committed to their focus on health and wellness, not just for their clients and families but for the entire community, too.
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Coralisle Group Ltd. is a Bermuda-based holding company for the Coralisle Group of Companies (CG or the Group) which has commercial operations in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Barbados, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Group comprises independently incorporated companies in these jurisdictions offering property and casualty insurance, employee benefits for pensions and health, life assurance and personal investment products and has received an A rating from AM Best. The Group draws commercial strength from the cohesion of a group of companies accessing a variety of skills, experience and local knowledge in different jurisdictions.
Coralisle Group, 33-35 Jardine House, Hamilton. Call 296-3700 or visit www.cgcoralisle.com
