$174 million in funding will be used to address the Critical Gaps in Ontario’s current mental health systems

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

While actively involved in my community-focused work, it has become painfully apparent to me that the mental health needs of the Caribbean Diaspora is addressed, but not really addressed. As a group, we are exposed to life events and: social stress, low incomes, fractured support systems, and poor societal safety nets. The World Health Organization describes mental health as a state of well being in which the individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a significant contribution to her or his community. How is this possible if we are laden with the daily societal pressures, which also include systemic racism and discrimination?

Studies conducted around the world point to increased rates of mental health challenges in: refugee groups, recent immigrant groups and in existing racialized and ethno-cultural groups. It has been found that migrant groups have over twice the risk of schizophrenia than non-migrant groups and the rates of psychological distress; post-traumatic stress/slave disorder and depression are significantly heightened in our community. (Report by the Mental Health Commission of Canada Task Group on Diversity, 2009) The driving factors consist of: unemployment, financial insecurity, poverty and poor housing. There are also members of the community who have had to deal with pre-migration stress due to war, torture, rape and the stress of living in a new country.

With these factors considered, Ontario’s Government for the People is adding desperately needed mental health and additional services on the ground, in schools, communities and health centres across the province. Realization of the disconnected mental health care system in Ontario is what has championed the $174 million in funding that will be used to address the critical gaps in Ontario’s current mental health systems. The current system has become too difficult to navigate, and many Ontarians wait too long for the mental health and addictions services that they need. This fragmented approach to care continues to fail Ontario families, and enough is enough.

Let’s take a look at the numbers; included in the overall investment of $174 million is nearly $30 million for child and youth mental health services and programs across Ontario, as well as more than $27 million to fund metal health supports in the education system. This will directly benefit schools, teachers and most importantly students and their families. This is part of the government’s commitment to invest $3.8 billion over the next 10 years; the goal is to create a connected system of care, with comprehensive services to ensure that every Ontarian is fully supported if, and when they decide to begin their journey toward mental wellness. These investments into mental health and addiction services are a part of Ontario’s plan to modernize our public health care system. They plan to focus on the patient experience when dealing with their mental health; this means more attention will be paid to reducing wait times and ending hallway healthcare.

There is no doubt that members of the government have done their due diligence; they have held 19 consultations across the province with mental health and addiction community organizations, frontline service providers, hospitals, advocates, experts, and people with lived experience. This years additional mental health and addiction funding will include: providing children and youth with earlier and faster mental health and addictions help at schools and in the community, more housing support for people who are homeless and face mental health and addiction issues, new mobile crisis teams that will help police officers and other first responders manage sensitive situations when assisting people with severe mental illness, and finally faster access to addiction treatment across the province. Are you ready for more positive news? To ensure mental health and addiction service providers have stable, long-term funding, the government will be making this additional funding available every year.

Community; you do not have to suffer alone. We need to find a way to tap into this funding, and also collaborate with other groups in the community who are at the frontlines. The mental health of the community is important to me, and I am glad that they are not making cuts in this area. For more information, visit the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, http://ontario.ca/health.