NDP will invest in mental health care for Cape Breton

Plan includes reversing Liberal cuts, reducing wait times

SYDNEY- NDP candidate for Sydney-Whitney Pier Madonna Doucette says for nearly four years the McNeil Liberals have made the crisis in mental health care worse and now people in Cape Breton have some of the longest wait times for help.

“People in Cape Breton are struggling to get the help they need because the McNeil Liberals have been so focused on building a Halifax-centric health authority instead of helping people get mental health supports,” said Doucette. “The NDP will reverse the cuts in mental health and make sure people get the care they need. Families can’t afford to wait any longer.”

An NDP government will:

• Open a pilot mental health hub at the emergency department in Sydney to take pressure off of emergency rooms, help people in crisis, and connect them to long-term, community-based care
• Reverse the $600,000 in cuts to community based care groups and invest an additional $150,000
• Double the initial investment in the Mental Health and Addictions strategy

“Wait times for mental health services have increased under the Liberals, and their cuts have only made the situation worse,” said Doucette. “The NDP will make sure people in Cape Breton living with mental illness and addictions receive the care they deserve.”

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