News

$325,000 for Mental Health Services for Children and Youth in Nipissing

NIPISSING – MPP Vic Fedeli is pleased to announce that the government of Ontario is providing $328,800 to four area organizations, as part of a five per cent across-the-board funding increase. The funds will help improve access to specialized mental health treatment services, reduce waitlists and wait times, and support the mental health and wellbeing of children and youth by addressing the increased demand for services during COVID-19.

“Our government continues to make mental health and addictions a priority by making investments to ensure children, youth and their families have access to the supports they need to stay mentally healthy here in Nipissing,” said Vic Fedeli, MPP of Nipissing. “With today’s funding, we continue our important work through the Roadmap to Wellness to enhance existing mental health services.”

The following local investments include:

• $296,900 for Algonquin Child and Family Services
• $16,500 for Nipissing First Nation
• $8,300 for the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre
• $7,100 for the Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing

This funding is part of the government’s commitment to invest $3.8 billion over 10 years to implement the Roadmap to Wellness, Ontario’s plan to build a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions system to serve Ontarians of all ages.

The pandemic has been extremely difficult for many young people, including unique challenges for students. This funding will stabilize and expand existing services and will provide targeted investments in specialized mental health supports, improving access to innovative solutions to support the mental health and wellbeing of Ontario’s children and youth. It will ensure child and youth clients can receive in a timely manner the appropriate care in the right setting, improving outcomes and avoiding hospital admission. Investments include:

$20 million for an across-the-board five per cent funding increase for all government funded children and youth mental health agencies that provide core mental health and addictions services as well as select Indigenous and specialized services to increase access to supports and decrease wait times for these services to address high demand, particularly during COVID-19 pandemic.

• $3.5 million for the Step Up Step Down live-in treatment program for children and youth with complex mental health needs who require short-term supports to step down from hospital care to less intensive community-based services, or step up from less intensive supports to provide stabilization through intensive interventions.
• $2.7 million at four new Youth Wellness Hubs across Ontario in Guelph, Renfrew, Timmins and Windsor for people between the ages of 12-25, to offer walk-in access to primary care and address their needs related to mental health, substance use, primary care, education, employment, training, housing and other community and social services.
• $2.1 million in annualized funding to support a new Virtual Walk-in Counselling Program which provide children, youth and families across the province with virtual counselling with a clinician via telephone, video conferencing, text or chat.
• $2 million for a new program to help children and youth who require additional one-on-one intensive treatment to transition in or out of specialized, live-in treatment programs, secure crisis units, and/or hospital.
• $1 million to maintain Child and Youth Tele-Mental Health service levels and continue providing access to specialized psychiatric consultations through videoconferencing.

QUICK FACTS

• This announced funding is in addition to the $10.5 million announced in February 2021 for the expansion of secure treatment services.
• Under Roadmap to Wellness, Ontario has announced an increase of $525 million in annualized funding for mental health and addictions support since 2019-20. This includes $175 million for more mental health and addictions services and supports in 2021-2022 committed through the 2021 Budget, $176 million invested in October 2020 and new funding of $174 million invested in 2019-20.
• In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, in 2020-21 the province invested up to $194 million in one-time emergency funding for mental health and addictions services, enabling Ontarians to access the services they need during these difficult times, including virtual supports which have been accessed by more than 75,000 Ontarians, including 32,900 who have accessed internet Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. In addition, as of late April, over 6,800 health care workers have access mental health and addictions supports virtually, including peer group discussions, training and education, iCBT and support from clinicians.
• Visit COVID-19: Support for People to find information about the many available, confidential and free mental health and addictions services and supports for Ontarians of all ages.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Ontario Unveils Plan to Build Mental Health and Addictions System
• Ontario Supporting Children and Youth with Complex Mental Health and Addictions Needs
• Ontario Increasing Mental Health and Addictions Services
• Visit Ontario’s website to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19.
• For people under 18, you can visit Resources Around Me to locate child and youth mental health services in your area. You can also visit Ontario’s website to find mental health supports for children and youth under the age of 18. Information is also available on our Health Care Options web portal.
• For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario