More Community Supports Coming to Cumberland, Colchester, East Hants and Online Engagement Opens

Residents of Colchester, Cumberland and Hants counties will soon have access to more services and support in their communities, including health, wellness and community transportation.

“What we’re hearing through community engagement so far is that there is already great work happening through organizations people know, people they trust, and programs they’re familiar with – we need to help them do more of it,” said Brian Comer, Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health. “By investing in what’s already working for the community and addressing challenges to access, like community transportation, we can connect more people to the supports they need right now while we work together on a plan for the long-term.”

The government has invested $190,000 in the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Colchester East Hants Branch to expand the services it offers through its Community Mental Health and Outreach Centre, including health promotion, self-management support and targeted risk and crisis management.

Based on feedback from the community, the government is also setting up a new $20,000 community transportation fund to help get people to and from health and wellness services, including mobile clinics. The fund will be administered by Nova Scotia Health Public Health and be available to anyone who needs it in Cumberland, Colchester and East Hants.

The government is also providing an additional $64,000 to eight community health boards to increase their grant funds and help them build new partnerships. Community health boards work closely with communities to understand their health and wellness challenges, opportunities and priorities. They award Wellness Fund grants to local community projects that help meet the community’s needs.

Community members can now provide feedback to the engagement team through a new online survey. This information helps ensure the wellness supports and services can meet the community’s needs long-term.

The mobile health and wellness clinic will be at the Milford Recreation Centre, 2288 Highway 2, Milford today, May 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Appointments are not necessary, and there is no cost. People who have a Nova Scotia health card are asked to bring it with them. A community engagement team will also be on-site with the mobile unit’s clinical team to hear from the community and learn how to meet their needs.

Community members can go online or call 211 to be connected to available resources and supports.

The Mass Casualty Commission recommended the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia jointly fund a program to address the unmet needs for mental health, grief and bereavement supports in the affected communities by May 1.

The provincial and federal governments have each contributed $9 million for a total of $18 million over a two-year period to advance this work.

Quotes:

“There are huge pressures on our healthcare system to respond to the increased demand for mental health and addiction services. This funding will allow us to offer supports to even more people – from helping those who want to improve their mental well-being, to responding in times of crisis. It’ll also support our work with community partners to increase mental health literacy and awareness so that any door is the right door in Colchester East Hants.”

– Susan Henderson, Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association, Colchester East Hants Branch

Quick Facts:

• mobile clinics and engagement sessions were held in Bass River on May 6 and Wentworth on May 10; a community engagement conversation was held on May 11 in Truro

Additional Resources:

Community supports website, including dates and locations for the mobile unit: https://novascotia.ca/community-support/

Job openings at Nova Scotia Health: https://jobs.nshealth.ca/nsha/

Mental health crisis line: 1-888-429-8167 (toll-free); it operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or people concerned about someone else

For non-crisis support, Nova Scotians can self-refer to Nova Scotia Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Program by calling the intake service line at 1-855-922-1122 (toll-free) to be connected to a clinician Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with extended hours to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.

More information on Nova Scotia Health’s mental health and addictions services, resources, and tools is available at: https://mha.nshealth.ca/en

More information on IWK Health’s mental health and addictions services, resources, and tools is available at: https://www.iwk.nshealth.ca/mental-health

Turning the Tide Together – Final report of the mass casualty commission, Volume 4, Community: https://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-4-Community.pdf