FRANCAIS

December 14, 2005

Healthy Living Minister Theresa Oswald today announced details of a $6.7-million comprehensive strategy to enhance and increase mental-health and addictions programs and services as well as additional training of front-line workers to deal with crystal meth, other addictions and mental health.

"When the all-party Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures Task Force consulted with Manitobans about how to ensure our kids are as healthy as they can be, mental-health promotion and addictions prevention was consistently raised as a priority," said Oswald. "Today I’m pleased to announce investments that will provide increased mental-health programming, enhance access to mental-health and addictions treatment and help reduce the demand for crystal meth and other drugs."

Building on the government’s commitment to mental-health renewal, the investments in mental-health and addictions programs will begin immediately and include:

·         investing in a Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team, the priority of which will be to facilitate the discharge of patients from Selkirk Mental Health Centre who require support in the community;

·         establishing and maintaining a 24-7 provincial suicide prevention line;

·         providing additional training for health-care staff in suicide prevention;

·         increasing ongoing funding to the Teen Talk program to enhance its work throughout the province;

·         funding for a clinical therapist and a registered nurse for the Behavioural Health Foundation;

·         funding to improve access to youth addictions programming at the Behavioural Health Foundation;

·         new core funding for the Dream Catchers program, which works with women transitioning out of the sex trade, enhancing program sustainability and staffing at Addictions Recovery Inc.;

·         investing in training and resource development for eating disorders;

·         funding for additional staffing for the Winnipeg Early Intervention in Psychosis program;

·         funding for the creation of an Early Intervention in Mental Illness program in Brandon to serve Brandon and the surrounding areas;

·         funding for two new youth outreach positions, one located in Winnipeg and one in Thompson, with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba;

·         funding to provide 7.5 additional community mental-health workers in the regional health authorities;

·         funding to help several self-help organizations move into a common building and to allow the expansion of the Mental Health Education Resource Centre established in 2001; and

·         as one of the commitments of the Manitoba Meth Strategy, funding to facilitate training throughout the province on a variety of mental-health and addictions topics including crystal meth.

"These investments focus on a combination of areas, including prevention, intervention, outreach and facility-based care, to deal with mental-health and addictions issues," said Health Minister Tim Sale. "Providing prevention initiatives and significantly enhanced resources will help us address these serious problems and make sure Manitobans have better access to mental-health and addictions services sooner."

"Since we know that problematic substance use and mental-health issues often
co-occur, this integrated strategy enhances both addictions and mental-health services and supports," said Oswald. "We need to tackle this to ensure people are being treated in a timely manner so they can go on to live healthy and satisfying lives."

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Over the next three years, $6.7 million will be invested in the following mental-health and addictions programs in Manitoba.

Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) – Manitoba Health will establish a new provincial PACT team to provide support to people with severe and persistent mental illness in the community and facilitate the discharge of individuals from Selkirk Mental Health Centre to the community.

Addictions Recovery Inc. – Addictions Recovery Inc. provides male clients with a temporary, affordable, safe and supportive living environment where they can develop the living and social skills necessary for their successful long-term recovery within their community. Manitoba Health will provide additional ongoing funding for this second-stage housing program, a 14-bed facility for those transitioning from primary treatment back to their home community. This funding will enhance current staffing levels as well as the sustainability of the program.

Teen Talk – Additional ongoing funding will provide a new Teen Talk team to help provide more workshops on topics such as substance use, mental health, body image and self-esteem throughout the province.

Suicide Prevention Line – Annual funding will be provided to establish the first 24-7 provincial telephone line dedicated to suicide prevention calls through Klinic Community Health Centre. Formal partnerships with Aboriginal and Métis organizations are an integral part of the service delivery plan of the Provincial Suicide Prevention Line.  Recruitment strategies are being developed to encourage Aboriginal and Métis community members to lend their cultural and counselling expertise to the Suicide Prevention Line.

Suicide Prevention Training – Funding will be used to deliver suicide prevention training to staff from regional health authorities (RHAs), Selkirk Mental Health Centre and addictions agencies. The five-day training sessions will qualify these staff to train others in their RHA or agency.

Eating Disorders Training and Resources – Funding will be used to develop resource materials and provide training for doctors, other health-care professionals, mental-health and addictions workers, family members and consumers.

Self-help Organization Funding – Funding will be provided to help several self-help organizations, including the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, Anxiety Disorders Association, Canadian Mental Health Association – MB Division and Mood Disorders Association to move into a common building. This move will also include the expansion of the Mental Health Education Resource Centre, established in 2001.

Adult Community Mental-health Workers – Ongoing funding will be used to create 7.5 additional community mental-health worker positions in several regional health authorities across Manitoba.

Early Intervention in Psychosis Program (Winnipeg) – Ongoing funding for additional staff positions will enable the program to support more clients experiencing their first episodes of psychosis.

Early Intervention in Mental Illness Program (Brandon and surrounding area) – Ongoing funding will be provided to expand the early intervention program to provide the southwestern region of the province with services for youth experiencing the first symptoms of mental illness.

Addictions Foundation of Manitoba Youth Outreach Positions – Ongoing funding will provide two new outreach positions to enhance addiction services for youth. The positions will be located in Winnipeg and Thompson with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. Outreach services have been identified as best practices for street kids who are an at-risk group for mental-health and addiction issues and are unlikely to seek help at treatment centres.

Behavioural Health Foundation – Ongoing funding will be provided to residential treatment services to provide access to the foundation’s programs for youth who have until now been unable to access them due to per diem costs. Additional funding will be used to hire a clinical therapist as well as a nurse.

Dream Catchers – Beginning in 2006-07, ongoing core funding will be provided to the Dream Catchers program, which works with women transitioning out of the sex trade.

Mental Health and Addictions Branch Training Position and Resources – Funding will be provided for a one-year term training position and related resource costs in the Mental Health and Addictions Branch to co-ordinate and facilitate training throughout the province on topics including, among others, crystal meth, acquired brain injury, suicide prevention and eating disorders. In addition, ongoing funding will cover the costs of continuing training in mental health and addictions.

Co-occurring Training Modules – Manitoba Health has provided funding for the development of training modules to train mental-health and addictions workers in co-occurring mental-health and substance-use disorders. These modules have now been distributed to regions and addiction agencies throughout the province.