The Nova Scotia government used Tuesday, Oct. 10 — or World Mental Health Day — to announce they were investing millions of dollars in mental health services across the province.
In total, an additional $8.6 million in funding will be available this year. Health Minister Randy Delorey says more than half of the money will go towards investments that target youth mental health.
“Youth growing up today, it is a different world then it was 10 or 15 years ago,” said Delorey.
“These investments will make it easier for young people and their families to get the services they need — at school, in the community, even in the comfort of their own homes.”
READ: Children’s mental health program to expand in Atlantic Canada
IWK to get new staff, cut down on wait times
As part of the investments, Delorey says the IWK Children’s Hospital will hire 15 new staff members to serve the mental health needs of youth and families.
It’s hoped the new hires will help cut down the wait list at the hospital.
According to statistics obtained under a freedom of information request from Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, between the final quarter of 2011 and the third quarter of 2016, 50 per cent of patients waited 100 days for a first appointment.
According to the same data, the maximum wait time for patients at the IWK before receiving their first appointment was 343 days.
Between the last quarter of 2011 and the third quarter of 2016, that the IWK has had 7,156 patients admitted at its Halifax, Dartmouth and Sackville locations.
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Here’s a breakdown of the new investments in mental health-care specific to children and youth:
- $1.8 million to expand SchoolsPlus into 68 more schools across Nova Scotia
- $1.4 million to hire more school psychologists and speech-language pathologists
- $700,000 to increase access to services delivered by the IWK Health Centre in rural and underserved areas
- $463,000 to expand CaperBase, a youth outreach program in Cape Breton
- $192,000 to hire two guidance counsellors and a social worker in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board
- $373,000 to hire new mental health clinicians to support children and youth in targeted communities
- $300,000 to KidsHelpPhone to continue services online and by phone.
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Alisa Simon, the vice-president of counselling and programs for Kids Help Phone says demand for their services has increased over the past decade, especially for online chat services.
“Last year, crisis interventions took place in 19 per cent of all counselling sessions in Nova Scotia, and 55 per cent of all counselling sessions were done via Live Chat,” said Simon.
READ MORE: Internationally acclaimed psychologist let go from IWK hospital after license rejection
Mental health in Nova Scotia ‘a work in progress’
Olivia Conrad, a Grade 12 student at Auburn Drive High School, says one in five young Canadians is affected by mental illness — but only one in four of those affected will get the help they need.
“People could be struggling with anxiety, depression, anything like that. It can range from one end of the spectrum to the other but all of them are mental illnesses and all of them affect people’s lives,” she said.
Conrad is a volunteer for Jack.org, a national network of young people who help identify barriers to positive mental health in their communities and work to break barriers down.
“It’s certainly still a work in progress to get people aware of what’s going on and what people are struggling with,” said Conrad.
The 17-year-old says social media is still a problem many young people face.
“You have Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, everything like that, Snapchat, people are able to send things anonymously,” said Conrad. “Behind a computer screen they don’t feel bad but if they were to say it to someone’s face they would feel a hundred times worse.”
Conrad says while people are more accepting and willing to open up and talk about mental illness, there is still work to be done.
READ: Nova Scotia to increase mental health services for youth, children
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TeleHealth capacity to expand
The funding will also expand the IWK’s TeleHealth capacity.
Experts at the hospital will be able to use computer-based video conferencing technology to better support Nova Scotians around the province — instead of them coming from rural communities to Halifax.
“It does allow people in other parts of the province, any rural part, whether it’s Cape Breton, down to Yarmouth, South Shore or up in Amherst, anywhere in the province to be able to have access without always having to travel for those consults,” said Delorey.
Other investments in mental health Nova Scotians of all ages include:
- $1.6 million to expand crisis services
- $1 million to create a provincewide central intake system so no door is the wrong door to get help
- $550,000 to increase access to community-based supports
- $198,400 for additional Sexual Assault Trauma Therapists
- $60,000 for Bloom, a program that connects individuals with their community pharmacists.
READ MORE: These 3 groups are at ‘high risk’ of mental health issues in Canada. Here’s why
Where to get help
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.
— With files from Alexander Quon
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