Filling the gaps: How business can support health care
Our roots as a not-for-profit health and benefits company began in 1957, when pharmacist and business owner William Wilkinson founded GreenShield to help his customers struggling to afford the medication they needed. Today, social impact continues to drive our purpose.
Through GreenShield Cares, we reinvest our earnings and deploy our health services to support underserved and marginalized communities in Canada. We’re on our way to reaching our goal of investing $75 million to improve the lives of at least one million Canadians by 2025, as we grow to become an even stronger force for good.
This is GreenShield Cares
Women's Mental Health
GreenShield Cares’ Women’s Mental Health program offers free culturally safe therapy and mental health services to people 18+ living in Canada who identify as women. The program includes two free hours of virtual therapy with a licensed mental health professional and a one-year subscription to online cognitive behavioural therapy. Since the program's inception in December 2021, we’ve helped more than 75,000 women access free mental health support.
Featured articles
Providing women with the right tools that consider their unique needs and lived experiences is a fundamental part of the healing journey. Our wellness hub of mental health resources helps break down barriers and provides meaningful support.
Which Type of Therapy Is Right for You?
Finding the right mental health support is a critical part of your mental health journey.
How to Support Women of Colour in the Workplace
What workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion really means with expert insight from a registered practitioner.
Essential Medicines
GreenShield Cares’ Essential Medicines program is a first-of-its-kind program to provide essential medications to low-income Canadians without public or private drug coverage.
How our programs help
“GreenShield helped by providing the Essential Medicines program, which was like a light at the end of the tunnel for these individuals who could then see hope and positive change, and that they didn’t have to choose between food and prescriptions.”
- Jodi Pearce, health promotion lead at Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre
We’re focused on increasing access to care
Here’s how GreenShield is helping to fill the gaps in the Canadian health care system.
Essential medicines program launch
The Globe and Mail: Benefits provider GreenShield to offer drug plans for people with no coverage.
Advancing health equity
Better Health for All: GreenShield’s mission to improve access and equity in health care.
Prescription drug coverage in Ontario
Find out if our free Essential Medicines program is right for you.
Oral Health
GreenShield Cares has committed over $20 million since 2016 to provide oral health care to underserved communities. We work with partner organizations to increase access to quality dental care by funding front-line community clinics, oral health education programs and service navigation, as well as independent evaluation research conducted by universities.
Meet some of our partners
GreenShield Cares’ multi-million-dollar oral health commitment includes investments in community centres and academic institutions to improve access to dental services and meet the needs of underserved communities while advancing research and preparing the next generation of oral health professionals.
From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, we’ve partnered with organizations in cities and rural areas across seven provinces to help fill the gaps in Canadian dental care services.
