CMHA Peel Dufferin
Apr 18, 2019
This year, people in Peel Dufferin have an opportunity to push for lasting change on Bell Let’s Talk Day.
Sign the petition at www.erasethedifference.ca and send a strong message to provincial election candidates that mental health and addictions care in Ontario should be funded the same as physical health care.
The petition is led by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario in collaboration with CMHA Peel Dufferin in the lead up to the June provincial election.
“Awareness campaigns such as Bell Let’s Talk Day are welcome and extremely valuable as they help break the stigma and reduce the discrimination associated with mental health and addictions,” said David Smith of CMHA Peel Dufferin. “But the fact remains that mental health and addictions services in Ontario remain chronically underfunded compared to other parts of the health system,” David said. “Without regular and ongoing investment into the system, people coming forward to seek help can end up languishing while they wait for service.”
Canadians from coast to coast will join the conversation again January 31, 2018 to help break down the stigma associated with mental illness. Simply, talking has a significant impact on reducing stigma and supporting recovery. Bell will donate 5¢ for every applicable text, call, tweet, social media video view, use of Facebook frame and Snapchat geofilter.
The burden of mental illness in Ontario is 1.5 times that of all cancers combined and more than seven times of all infectious diseases [i]. Meanwhile, Ontario devotes $3.5 billion of a total $54-billion health budget to mental health and addictions. The mental health and addictions share of the health budget is 6.5 per cent. In 1979, it was 11.3 per cent [ii],[iii].
CMHA Peel Dufferin thanks Bell for its continued commitment and efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and change people’s behaviours and attitudes about mental health in communities across Canada.
Help end the stigma around mental illness. It’s easier than you think! Visit the Bell Let’s Talk Day website for five simple ways to help end the stigma around mental illness.
You can also show you support for mental health by donating to CMHA Peel Dufferin
[1] Ratnasingham S, Cairney J, Rehm J, Manson H, Kurdyak PA. (2012) Opening Eyes, Opening Minds: The Ontario Burden of Mental Illness and Addictions Report https://www.ices.on.ca/Publications/Atlases-and-Reports/2012/Opening-Eyes-Opening-Minds [2] Brien et al. (2015). Taking Stock: A report on the quality of mental health and addictions services in Ontario. An HQO/ICES Report. Toronto: Health Quality Ontario and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, as cited in Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (2012) Mental Illness and Addictions: Facts and Statistics. http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/newsroom/for_reporters/Pages/addictionsmentalhealthstatistics.aspx [3] Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (2017) 2017- 2018 Published Plan and 2016-2017 Annual Report http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/plans/ppar17/
