- WELL embarks on an ongoing ESG strategy and reporting
initiative, engages KPMG LLP, and establishes an ESG
committee.
- WELL will take targeted actions to continue to support
diversity, equity and inclusion within the workplace
environment.
- WELL enforces commitment to elevating the privacy and security
posture around patient data through its risk management
processes.
- WELL will continue to contribute to reducing environmental
impacts by leveraging its own virtual and digital solutions
across the health continuum of care.
VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 15, 2021 /CNW/ - WELL Health Technologies
Corp. (TSX: WELL) (the "Company" or "WELL"), a
company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by
leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their
patients globally, announced today its commitment to ESG excellence
backed by corporate governance. WELL also announces the creation of
an ESG committee chaired by its Chief People Officer, Shane Sabatino, and the Company has partnered
with KPMG LLP ("KPMG"), a thought leader in ESG, to further develop
and report on the Company's ESG strategy, objectives and
initiatives to increase long-term shareholder value.
![WELL Health Technologies Corp. Logo (CNW Group/WELL Health Technologies Corp.) WELL Health Technologies Corp. Logo (CNW Group/WELL Health Technologies Corp.)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1661005/WELL_Health_Technologies_Corp__WELL_Announces_ESG_Program_as_an.jpg)
"WELL's ESG program is not a 'tick the box' exercise. WELL
is a purpose-driven business that aims to transform the world
for the better, and it's the shared commitment to this purpose that
unites our team, partners, practitioners and shareholders. Together
we are pursuing ESG excellence," comments Hamed Shahbazi, Chairman and CEO of WELL. He
adds, "After a long process to identify the right partner, we are
very pleased to be working with KPMG on our ESG program. We
look forward to executing on our quadruple bottom line objectives
and continuing to make WELL shareholders and stakeholders alike
proud of their company and the role it plays in positively
impacting our patients and our wider environment."
WELL's ESG strategy will reinforce the following goals and
initiatives WELL currently holds in high regard:
Environment
- WELL's focus is on leveraging the nature of our multi-purpose
digital health platform and its virtual care capabilities to reduce
the environmental footprint of healthcare, which leads to a
reduction of our patient's carbon emissions and waste generated
from physical visits to clinics.
- Sustainability is at the core of WELL's M&A practice and
resource efficiencies are made within acquired companies through
thoughtful streamlining of global supply chains while maintaining
our unique decentralized operating philosophy
Social
- WELL has a purpose-driven business model centred around
improving outcomes for patients by providing clinicians with
technology that helps to improve the efficiency, reliability,
accuracy and safety of healthcare services.
- WELL's virtual care capabilities help to widen access to
healthcare for individuals who face barriers, such as those based
in rural communities.
- Diversity and Inclusion with a focus on equity and
inclusiveness are at the forefront of WELL's culture, including
initiatives for team members' health and wellness. WELL
demonstrates a commitment to diverse team members and management
team, and a culture that values the unique perspectives of all team
members.
- WELL regularly encourages civic engagement on the part of its
team members and is proud to support such volunteer activity even
during regular working hours.
Governance
- WELL has an independent board with a majority of independent
directors.
- WELL empowers its business unit leaders to drive and run
operations. Notwithstanding this, the company has developed a
shared services architecture that provides critical support to, and
ensures high standards of risk management within, business units in
key areas such as security, privacy, people & culture and
financial reporting.
- Patient record privacy and security of data is one of the most
important ESG initiatives within WELL with each business unit
having a dedicated person for accountability structure and risk
assessments. WELL often elevates the privacy and security posturing
of its acquired businesses. All team members are given
cybersecurity training.
- Management leads with integrity, with a shared purpose to
empower practitioners and improve patient outcomes.
Chief People Officer, Shane
Sabatino comments, "We believe in the basic premise
that our organization is an instrument of doing good in the
community. We also believe that this creates a virtuous cycle by
which our organization generates even more momentum as a by-product
of our positive impact, truly a win-win. Our ESG pillars will
contribute to the bigger picture, broader societal goals, ensuring
WELL attracts and retains top talent, while responding to the
interests of our team members and our community." He continues,
"Early on we established our ESG committee and knew we would
provide ongoing ESG reporting for our stakeholders, through this
process, we will continue to identify our ESG pillars and we will
remain transparent in our reporting for the greater good."
WELL HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
Per: "Hamed Shahbazi"
Hamed Shahbazi
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director
About WELL Health Technologies Corp.
WELL is a technology enabled healthcare company whose
overarching objective is to positively impact health outcomes to
empower and support healthcare practitioners and their
patients. WELL has built an innovative practitioner enablement
platform that includes comprehensive end to end practice management
tools inclusive of virtual care and digital patient engagement
capabilities as well as Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Revenue
Cycle Management (RCM) and data protection services. WELL
uses this platform to power healthcare practitioners both inside
and outside of WELL's own omni-channel patient services offerings.
As such, WELL owns and operates Canada's largest
network of outpatient medical clinics serving primary and
specialized healthcare services and is the provider of a leading
multi-national, multi-disciplinary telehealth offering. WELL
is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
"WELL" and is part of the TSX Composite Index. To
learn more about the Company, please
visit: www.well.company.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release may contain "Forward-Looking Information"
within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws,
including, without limitation: information regarding the expected
benefits of the ESG Program. Forward-looking information is
necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that,
while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject
to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties,
and contingencies. Forward-looking information generally can
be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as "may",
"should", "will", "could", "intend", "estimate", "plan",
"anticipate", "expect", "believe" or "continue", or the negative
thereof or similar variations. Forward-looking statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause future results, performance or achievements to be
materially different from the estimated future results, performance
or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking
statements and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of
future performance. WELL's statements expressed or implied by
these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks,
uncertainties, and conditions, many of which are outside of WELL 's
control, and undue reliance should not be placed on such
statements. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their
entirety by inherent risks and uncertainties, including: direct and
indirect material adverse effects from the COVID-19 pandemic;
adverse market conditions; risks inherent in the primary healthcare
sector in general; regulatory and legislative changes; that future
results may vary from historical results; inability to obtain any
requisite future financing on suitable terms; any inability to
realize the expected benefits and synergies of acquisitions; that
market competition may affect the business, results and financial
condition of WELL and other risk factors identified in documents
filed by WELL under its profile at www.sedar.com, including its
most recent Annual Information Form. Except as required by
securities law, WELL does not assume any obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, events or otherwise.
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