Glavine: Mental Health Strategy Two Years Late

Glavine: Mental Health Strategy Two Years Late
Date: Thursday March 22, 2012

Liberal health critic Leo Glavine says that the Dexter government’s mental health strategy will be two years late as of March 25.

“We’ve seen this government cut and tinker with mental health funding and programming, but we have not seen any strategy outlining a mental health and addiction plan for the province,” says Glavine. “We will not be able to address the serious mental health and addictions problems we face until this government offers a holistic strategy.”

Glavine spoke at a rally on Wednesday outside the IWK – many of those in attendance were former patients, concerned parents and health care workers voicing their displeasure over cuts to mental health staff and services at the iconic children’s hospital.

“The minister of health’s response to Wednesday’s protest was unacceptable,” says Glavine. “Minister MacDonald indicated she saw no reason for her government to reverse the cuts to mental health because it’s a system that’s broken.”

“The minister knows that if the system is failing Nova Scotians, it’s because it’s underfunded and not a priority for the NDP government – the decisions to continue to cut budgets and resources while failing to deliver a mental health strategy are hers and hers alone.”

Glavine says that one in five people will experience mental illness in their lifetime and 10 per cent of Nova Scotians battle drug and alcohol addiction.

“This government is failing people and families dealing with mental illness and suffering from addiction,” says Glavine. “Suicide is one of the most common areas of injury causing death in Nova Scotia – clearly mental health and addiction problems can be fatal and, for some reason, this government is dragging its heels.”

Glavine notes that three other provinces have released mental health strategies and two other provinces have increased their mental health funding since the NDP took office.

Glavine says that after consulting with Nova Scotians, progress on this strategy has stalled.

“Nova Scotians spoke passionately about the need for more community resources, more timely response and made in Nova Scotia solutions,” says Glavine. “All they’ve received for their efforts was more delays, more excuses and deep cuts.”

“This government must produce its strategy and hold those responsible for its delay to account,” says Glavine. “The problems are too severe to ignore.”