Parkland Regional Health Authority First Manitoba Organization to Receive International Disability Management Standards Council Certification

The Parkland Regional Health Authority (PRHA) has been awarded the International Disability Management Standards Council Certification after achieving higher than 80 percent in an audit that assesses how workplaces treat injured and ill employees.

The PRHA is the first organization in Manitoba and the first regional health authority in Canada to receive this certification. The award was presented at a ceremony at the PRHA’s Board Meeting in Ste. Rose today.“

This certification is a testament to the commitment of our employees and to the health and welfare of our staff,” says Mavis Wood, Interim CEO of the Parkland Regional Health Authority. “By ensuring that injured and disabled staff return to work in a safe and timely manner, we’re ultimately able to provide better care to our patients. We’ve shifted the focus of our attention from what staff can’t do to what they can do! The program supports a timely return to work and productivity.”

The Consensus Based Disability Management Audit (CBDMA), administered by the National Institute of Disability Management and Research (NIDMAR), is funded by the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba’s Community Initiatives and Research Program. Workplaces are assessed in three categories: disability management policies; disability and injury prevention programs; and timely return to work processes.

The audit identifies strengths or gaps and provides employers with a report that helps them lower injury rates, return workers to employment and health, and reduce overall expenditures.

“This is another important step in our goal to create a culture of safety in Manitoba,” says Dave Scott, Vice-President of Rehabilitation and Compensation Services, Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. “By investing proactively in disability management, the PRHA also benefits by realizing significant savings on their WCB premiums. It’s a win-win situation.”

The audit focuses on disability management, which provides a proactive approach to helping injured workers return to work in a safe and timely manner. Having comprehensive programs in place are crucial to helping workers recover, and to reducing the human and financial cost of workplace illnesses and injuries.

“Parkland has certainly demonstrated a leadership role by receiving this certification,” says Dr. Garry Corbett, the Disability Management Consultant who administered the audit. “This is an exceptional achievement - one that provides an international standard and sets an example for other organizations in the healthcare sector.” 

The Parkland Regional Health Authority provides health services to the 42,000 residents within the Parkland Region, situated in West Central Manitoba.

The Manitoba WCB is a mutual injury and disability insurance agency governed by a Board of Directors representative of employers, workers and the public interest and funded by employer premiums. The WCB insures approximately 70 percent of the workers in Manitoba, employed by just over 26,000 registered employers.

Contact:

Warren Preece, Director of Communications

Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba

(204) 954-4113

1-800-362-3340