SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH IN

Supporting mental health in the construction industry Arthur Chung, CEO, BCCA Employee Benefits Trust

The British Columbia Construction Association Employee Benefit Trust (BCCA EBT) says it’s about time that the importance of maintaining mental health is as amplified as maintaining physical health.

Over 53 years ago, the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) established the BCCA EBT. According to Arthur Chung, chief executive officer of the Trust, the initiative was started by a group of business owners who wanted to provide coverage to employees that weren’t on a union benefits plan. As a result, they created a fund that paid out health expenses incurred by those employees and their families.

“For the past 12 years, we’ve self-administered the plan for the BCCA and regional construction associations, such as the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA),” says Chung. “We administer health, dental, and pooled benefits, which are group life insurance, accidental death, critical illness, and disability.”

Chung says the goal of the Trust is to encourage employers to look at benefits as a necessary part of the total compensation package for employees to stay healthy and productive – not as a perk of the job or a cost. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure employees’ mental and physical health are looked after, and the BCCA EBT helps employers do that. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020, the Trust anticipated, and later confirmed, that it would cause a lot of stress. So, they quickly determined that they needed to increase and promote access to their mental health supports.

One significant change the Trust made was temporarily increasing the psychology benefit limits on their plans. The average benefits plan allows psychology benefits from $300 to $500 per year, but the Trust bumped it up – with no cost to the employer or employees – to $2,000 per year. That’s almost four times the original allowance.

“That’s a number we are flexible with,” Chung says. “If we see claims where people are starting to pay out of pocket, we’ll adjust it. It’s not a fixed support we are providing at this point.”

Another initiative the Trust put forth is access to therapy via a partnership with MindBeacon, which offers internet-

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based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT). However, they are doing things differently than most benefits providers. Normally, when one visits a mental health professional, they pay per visit and are reimbursed after submitting the claim to their benefits plan. With the MindBeacon partnership, the BCCA EBT removed the hurdle of employees having to pay out-of-pocket and have seen an increase in usage of therapy.

“Whether they need three sessions or 10, it will be a one-time cost born by the Trust,” Chung says. “The employer or employee doesn’t have to pay a penny for that access.”

Further, the Trust’s communications and marketing department provides ongoing mental health education and awareness of resources such as their employee and family assistance plan. The program is accessible for all employees and members of their households – not just their dependents. Chung says plenty of employees are in situations where they live in multigenerational and/or multi-family households. The Trust recognizes and does their best to support varying family units.

The Trust also sponsors webinars put forward by VICA, BCCA, and other regional construction associations.

Chung says that many people feel uncomfortable asking for help. That is why the Trust wants to be part of the solution by helping employers and employees easily access the resources they offer.

“VICA has been very productive and involved,” Chung says, adding that the mental health mission began with the Builders Code established three years ago. The Code started as a way to increase diversity and the presence of women in construction, but quickly grew into discussions about mental health, bullying, and workplace harassment.

Although the Trust started offering these initiatives during COVID-19, they know the need for mental health supports will be a lifelong requirement. According to the Canadian Health and Life Insurance Association, mental health claims have gone up 24 per cent at the end of 2020, which represents over $420 million across the country.

“In many ways, the industry sees this as a positive thing, because more people are seeking help,” Chung says. “Especially in construction – we are always encouraging people to access the plan and get access to the care and help they need.”

For more information about BCCA EBT benefit plans, visit bccabenefits.ca. n

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