Government of Canada supports development of mental health resources to help communities plan for and respond to emergencies

OTTAWA, ON, June 27, 2024 /CNW/ - Communities across Canada are facing increased health challenges in the wake of more frequent and intense emergencies, such as devastating wildfires, floods and other traumatic incidents. It is important to recognize the impact these events can have on our mental health and learn when and how to seek help if someone is struggling.

Today, on National Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day, the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced a grant for McMaster University's Canadian Emergency Response Psychosocial Support Network CanEMERG project totalling $749,932. This funding is linked to the Government of Canada's response to the Mass Casualty Commission's (MCC)  Final Report ─ Turning the Tide Together, which includes recommendations to better support the mental health of people in affected communities. 

McMaster University's Trauma and Recovery Lab will lead this initiative, aiming to provide communities across Canada with the tools, resources, and guidance needed to plan, develop and access psychosocial supports in response to emergencies or other situations that may be traumatic.

Psychosocial supports are non-medical supports that promote mental health and wellbeing. These supports can include helping people understand and use healthcare and community services, advocating for basic services and security, and supporting community networks, social groups, and social service organizations.

These supports are most needed in the aftermath of emergencies and traumatic events. These events can disrupt a community, make people feel unsafe, and affect a person's ability to cope with stress and trauma. The mental health impacts of these events can be long lasting and are not the same for everyone, underscoring the importance of accessible and inclusive supports.

With the funding announced today, CanEMERG will develop free online access to evidence-based resources designed to support the needs of organizations and individuals, military personnel, veterans, public safety professionals, healthcare workers and other essential workers, populations or communities experiencing structural inequities. This will support community resiliency and recovery by helping communities and individuals in planning for and responding to emergencies or other traumatic events in Canada.

Quotes

"When a community is in crisis, we can't look away. That's why our government is supporting McMaster's CanEMERG project to help communities across Canada plan for and respond to emergencies and traumatic events. Supporting the social, emotional and psychological wellbeing of people and communities is key to creating more resilient communities." 

The Honourable Ya'ara Saks 
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health 

"As we shift to the post-pandemic period, Canada continues to face threats related to shifting environmental and global circumstances. Through CanEMERG, we will leverage lessons learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance preparedness for current and future emergencies and disasters, ensuring that Canadians and the communities in which they reside have rapid access to evidence-informed psychosocial supports aimed at protecting their mental health and wellbeing."

Margaret McKinnon, PhD CPsych
Homewood Research Chair in Mental Health and Trauma and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University

Quick Facts

• In October 2020, an independent public inquiry titled the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) was established to examine the April 2020 mass casualty in Portapique, Nova Scotia, and to provide meaningful recommendations to help keep communities safer. This funding is in response to the MCC's final report and will assist communities in ensuring that psychosocial support needs are included in response to an emergency or other potentially psychologically traumatic event.
• The 2023 Canada's Chief Public Health Officer annual report explores the inequitable health impacts of emergencies. It highlights opportunities for public health to contribute to emergency management through the essential public health functions, particularly health promotion approaches that can support equity and resilience. This funding can help contribute to the report's call to action.
• Canada continues to take a range of actions to support mental health and well-being. The 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline is available to everyone in Canada via voice and text, 24/7, 365 days a year, in both English and French. 
• Anyone in Canada can visit Canada.ca/mental-health to access mental health and substance use supports and services, available both where they live and virtually.

Associated Links

• News Release: Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia announce steps to address recommendations made by the Mass Casualty Commission
• Anniversary of the Release of the Mass Casualty Commission Final Report
• CPHO Report 2023 - Creating the Conditions for Resilient Communities: A Public Health Approach to Emergencies

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

Contacts: Yuval Daniel, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, 819-360-6927; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709