Belleville, ON. Thursday, July 19, 2022 – Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) is pleased to announce TD Bank Group (TD) is supporting our national mental health MIRA project that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chatbot technology to assist Canadians impacted by mental illness or mental health concerns.
The Mental Health, Intelligent Information, Resource, Assistant (MIRA) navigation chatbot is coordinated by MDSC, in collaboration with the University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, Dalhousie University, Western University, AI4Society, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Hub for Mental Health, and a growing list of additional collaborators.
MIRA uses world-leading Canadian AI technology, to connect users to trusted mental health knowledge or services, filtered to their needs and preferences. The chatbot will serve as a mental health navigation tool, pointing people to the necessary knowledge and resources. MIRA is designed to complement existing services, drawing from an over 750 resources library pre-vetted by a 30+ national panel of mental health experts and lived experienced leaders.
“We are excited to bring MIRA to Canadians, providing an easy-to-use tool, that offers people a self-guided and anonymous process to find the best-suited resources and supports tailored to their specific situation. A person struggling with mental health concerns, should not have to struggle navigating to the right resource, MIRA changes this.” States Dave Gallson, National Executive Director of Mood Disorders Society of Canada
“How healthy we feel – physically and mentally – can influence our confidence in tomorrow and impact our ability to participate in community events, attend work, or plan for the future. That’s why, through the TD Ready Commitment, our corporate citizenship platform, TD is proud to support research, technology and innovative solutions, like the MIRA AI pilot program, that helps increase access to services and care and improve health outcomes for all.” Uma Venkataramaiah, Senior Manager, Philanthropy, TD Bank Group
About Mood Disorders Society of Canada
MDSC was incorporated in 2001 with the overall objective of improving access to treatment, informing research, and shaping program development and government policies with the goal of improving the quality of life for people affected by mood disorders. MDSC has evolved into one of Canada’s best-connected mental health NGOs with a demonstrated track record of forging and maintaining meaningful and sustained partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors throughout Canada. Collaboration is an MDSC operational principle.
For more information:
(613) 921-5565
info@mdsc.ca
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