15

Jun

2020

– 15th June marks the beginning of International Men’s Health Week.

This year, the theme for Men’s Health Week in Ireland is ‘Restoring the Balance’. Although men fare better than women in most conventional measures, such as jobs and earnings, this advantage is not reflected in their health (British Medical Journal, 2011).
For many health experts, the public debate on men’s health tends to be dominated by a negative portrayal of men not attending health services and taking unnecessary risks with their health. The Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) is a charitable organisation that seeks to promote all aspects of the health and well-being of men and boys. MHFI would like to see a more constructive dialogue that focuses on the supports offered to men in order to:

  • Identify the key concerns in relation to men’s health
  • Increase understanding of these issues
  • Address the impact of this inequality

There are various key organisations that are supporting men’s health.
From the 15 until the 19 June, the CIF is focussing on the physical aspect of men’s health.
The following week, CIF is focussing on mental health and well-being for all workers and on other aspects of occupational health and safety in construction.

What can employers do for staff?

The industry shut down impacted us all. Some were more impacted than others and many will struggle to adjust to the industry re-opening. For this reason, employer support is more vital than ever. Families might be adjusting to this change and it is important that we support fathers who are more engaged than ever and want to re-balance the burden of care in the home.
The CIF is supporting its members and their staff, and has teamed up with Laya Healthcare and Spectrum Health to offer ‘Build Health’.  The team have created a mental health support programme that includes:

  • Free telephone support helpline
  • Video Counselling
  • Access to mental health resources
  • Up to six free counselling sessions

This low cost, but vital service is available to CIF members at a discount of up to €933.50. CIF members can choose from the packages combining seminars, workshops and training as an additional or standalone service – all available in the workplace and delivered remotely via video link.
For more information on this offering, please visit the Build Health page.

International Men’s Health Week