Mental health care must be a priority

HALIFAX -- The NSNDP is calling on the Houston government to make mental health care a priority and invest in in-person, province-wide services. This should include working to set up same-day/next-day walk-in mental health clinics throughout Nova Scotia.

“The last two years have had a serious impact on people’s mental health and we need to be addressing that now,” said NDP Health spokesperson Susan Leblanc. “Even before COVID-19, many Nova Scotians had to wait too long for mental health care. That’s meant people with insurance or enough money can get the care they need while others are stuck waiting.”

According to Statistics Canada, almost 13 per cent of Nova Scotians report their mental health to be fair or poor, compared with a national average of less than 10 per cent. Halifax has the only Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team in the province. There should be in-person crisis response available throughout the province to deal with mental health emergencies.

“We have heard from Nova Scotians and the police that it would be better if people specifically trained in mental health response were able to respond to emergencies when needed,” said Kendra Coombes, NDP MLA for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier. “This needs to be available across the province, not just in Halifax. We already deal with very long wait times for mental health care in Cape Breton. We need more support for people here.”

The Health Committee meets today from 1-3 pm to discuss the Auditor General’s recommendations on mental health services in Nova Scotia.

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