Oilers Foundation champions mental health awareness through Hockey Talks

(Edmonton, AB) - The Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOCF) are proudly supporting Hockey Talks for the sixth consecutive season during home games throughout January at Rogers Place. Hockey Talks is an initiative that encourages a conversation about mental health by bringing awareness, increasing dialogue surrounding stigma and offering effective treatment and resources.

The Oilers Hockey Talks program is part of a collective effort with nine other National Hockey League (NHL) clubs, including all Canadian teams, where each dedicates one of their game nights from January 2 to March 22 to bring awareness to mental health in an attempt to provide information from experts and alleviate some of the misconceptions and stigma associated with mental illness.
Through Hockey Talks, the Oilers Foundation will host the following groups to promote mental health resources on the concourses of Rogers Place and in-game:
CASA Foundation - January 2 vs. LAK
Kids Help Phone - January 4 vs. ANA
Canadian Mental Health Association Edmonton - January 20 vs. VAN
Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation - January 23 vs. BUF
Schizophrenia Society of Alberta - January 25 vs. CGY
"The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation proudly voices our support for the importance of raising mental health awareness. We believe that creating a conversation around mental health can make a real impact by helping to break down common misconceptions and stigma associated with mental health," said EOCF Executive Director Natalie Minckler. "The groups being hosted in our sixth season of Hockey Talks provide important and life-saving mental health resources to serve individuals in our community. We encourage our fans and supporters to join the #HockeyTalks conversation on social media to help make a positive impact."
The Oilers Foundation has continued to champion mental health partnering with groups, including the CASA Foundation in support of CASA's Adolescent Day Program. The CASA Foundation supports CASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health, which is a community-based provider of mental health services for infants, children, adolescents and their families within Edmonton and both Central and Northern Alberta.
Just before the holidays, the wives and families of the Oilers Coaches and Management visited the CASA Centre, a trauma-informed facility specifically designed for the needs of children's mental health. The group was hands on, volunteering and baking for CASA's children and families at the facility. Last year, the Oilers Ladies were part of the facility's inaugural year, participating in CASA's art therapy program to help children and youth explore their talents and express their emotions in creative and innovative ways.
"CASA Child Adolescent and Family Mental Health is very appreciative of the Oilers Hockey Talks awareness campaign, bringing greater awareness and understanding to mental health in our community. The support of the Oilers and other NHL clubs is instrumental is normalizing an individual's struggle with their mental health," said Dr. Denise Milne, CEO of CASA and CASA Foundation. "Creating opportunities to encourage open and transparent conversations in mental health in our daily lives can change one's life choices to have a positive and supportive outcome. We are all in this journey of wellness together."
The EOCF has a strong legacy of mental health support with a dedicated Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Family Room in the Royal Alexandra Hospital's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit. Opened in 2015, the hockey-themed room provides pediatric mental health patients and their families a welcoming and friendly space to spend time together while at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit houses a multidisciplinary team that specializes in assessment, stabilization and diagnosis of youth aged six to 18 years of age for both urgent inpatient care and follow-up treatment.
Fans and supporters can join the conversation and lend their voices through social media by using the hashtag #HockeyTalks. Collectively, fans will have the opportunity to share personal messages and messages of support to create an atmosphere of open dialogue and awareness about mental health to both @EdmontonOilers on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and @Oil_Foundation on Twitter and Instagram.
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MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS FACTS\
\These statistics were compiled from the Government of Canada, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Mental Health Commission of Canada and Canada Policy Network.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
211 (1-888-482-4696) or ab.211.ca
Health Link Alberta - 780-408-5465
Mental Health Help Line - 1-877-303-2642
Distress line - 780-482-4357 or 1-800-232-7288