The province is working on a five-year mental health action plan, Manitoba mental health, wellness and recovery minister Audrey Gordon announced Monday.
Gordon said the government is in the consultation phase of a plan aimed at supporting a coordinated system for prevention, treatment and recovery.
“Several reports have been commissioned in the last several years, and many of these recommendations have been implemented,” Gordon said.
“We are building on this work to create a five-year action plan for mental health, wellness and recovery to inform priority areas and make it easier for Manitobans to find and access the right care at the right time and in the right place.”
The action plan will focus on five key areas: evidence-based, data-driven services; service access and coordination; substance use and recovery; population health and wellness; and service governance and accountability.
Gordon said the plan isn’t set in stone, and the consultation process with stakeholders and the public will help in its ongoing development.
The province will support the work of community-based agencies that are responsible for direct patient care.
One such agency, the NorWest Youth Hub, said it has seen increased traffic for mental health services throughout the pandemic — something that is expected to be an ongoing concern.
“From January 2020 to March 2021, we have seen a 500 per cent increase in referrals for counselling,” said Nancy Heinrichs, executive director of NorWest Coop Community Health.
“We anticipate this demand will continue long after we emerge from COVID-19.”
Over at the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), CEO Marion Cooper agrees mental health needs have been heightened during the pandemic.
“There’s an increased demand for service navigation, for counselling services, for services to assist people to get housing and address the impact mental illness and addiction has had on their lives,” Cooper says.
“Some of our most vulnerable community members needing supports to find and keep housing, that’s certainly a strong request. And then also the needs of parents, youth and children has certainly been a pronounced pressure point for us at CMHA.”
Cooper says the CMHA is “thrilled” the government has prioritized mental health in a way that isn’t a one-off investment or a pilot program.
She adds the action plan should include a focus on addressing wait times and early intervention, as well as creating a “continuum of support,” whereby people are directed to appropriate services before their needs become critical.
“Bringing together mental health and addictions services for our population is also integral to improving access,” Cooper says
“Oftentimes people are struggling with a variety of issues, and families are needing support to navigate systems to get the right care for their loved ones and to have those services be easily accessible.”
The government’s initiative is timely, Cooper says, since the pandemic has heightened awareness around mental health needs.
“I think with all of the experiences that the sector has had over the last couple of years responding to the community during this challenging time, the government is poised to really understand what the needs are of our community,” Cooper says.
Gordon said the completed fire-year plan will be made public before the end of the year.
They’ve issued a request for proposals for someone to lead consultations with those in the mental health sector, and are preparing a public engagement campaign in the fall.
An initial survey is already available at engagemb.ca.
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