Alberta Health Services said it is working to address the increased need it’s seeing from Edmonton children seeking mental health services.
Last year, about 6,000 Edmontonians under the age of 18 received mental health support. That’s a 57 per cent increase from the previous year.
The increased demand for service has led to longer wait times for children seeking mental health support. AHS has a target to see all new kids within 30 days of them seeking help. According to AHS, that target was met just 41 per cent of the time in the first quarter of 2016/17. That’s compared to the provincial average of seeing kids within 30 days 75 per cent of the time.
“We have seen a pretty significant increase in the number of children, youth and families who are reaching out for addiction and mental health services,” Mark Snaterse, executive director at AHS of addiction and mental health in the Edmonton Zone, said.
“Due to the higher volumes that we’ve seen, we’ve really struggled to meet that access target.”
Snaterse said a number of factors have led to the spike, including the current state of the economy in Edmonton and across Alberta.
“I think that certainly the downturn in the economy, I think that has had an impact. I think it’s been really stressful on families and on the family unit,” he said. “And I think there’s more unemployment and I think there’s more substance abuse that’s happening.”
READ MORE: Internet, social media addiction linked to mental health risks: study
Snaterse said the growing population of kids in the Edmonton area is playing a role, as is the fact that people are doing a better job of recognizing kids in need of service at an earlier age.
“We’re doing a lot of work with schools and with other community partners. I think there’s more awareness of the importance of children’s mental health and mental wellness.”
Snaterse said the increase is coming from all ages, across all socio-economic groups. He said AHS is rolling out a number of new initiatives over the next year or so in hopes of providing better access to care.
READ MORE: Here are the three groups at ‘high risk’ of mental health issues in Canada
Within the next month, AHS is set to open a new children’s mental health clinic in Rutherford. Snaterse said once the facility is fully staffed – within the next six to eight months – the clinic will be able to see an extra 45 to 50 kids and families per day.
“It’s really going to help us increase our capacity to meet the needs.”
The emergency department at the Stollery Children’s Hospital will also see more mental health experts, Snaterse said. More mental health therapists specializing in children and youth will also be deployed at several high-risk high schools in the Edmonton area.
READ MORE: How Alberta hopes to help improve mental health and addictions services
But while work is being done to address the demand, Snaterse said he doesn’t anticipate the need will decrease anytime soon.
“We’re anticipating that this peak in demand is going to last for some time.”
AHS said it has seen a spike in need for mental health services across all age groups in Alberta.
Comments