By Colton Swiderski

NDP makes big mental health promises ahead of election

Mar 7, 2016 | 4:27 PM

If successful in the upcoming provincial election, the New Democrats are promising up to eight free counselling sessions for all youth under the age of 18.

Athabasca’s NDP MLA Buckley Belanger said the free counselling sessions are in high demand.

“These are things we think are important to strengthen families. If there are any challenges in any particular person and the family wants help then this is one of the avenues we need to look at,” he added.

Besides free counselling sessions, the NDP has also promised two provincial mental health specialty clinics in an effort to reduce wait times. Among the list of commitments, the NDP has pledged to use quick care clinics in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert to increase the availability for mental health assessments.

Other platforms include expanding the HUB program to northern communities in an initiative to better serve at-risk families and individuals. According to its website, the HUB provides coordinated responses from police and social services to address individuals and families with high risk factors.

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Currently the HUB is in use in Yorkton, Weyburn, Estevan, La Ronge, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Nipawin and Prince Albert.

To help serve the physical health needs of northern residents, Belanger said if elected the NDP will also sell two of the executive government air crafts and retrofit the third into an air craft ambulance specifically for the north.

With the distance being too great for STARS to travel, patients in need have to wait for an aircraft out of Saskatoon. Some patients could have to wait a couple hours before they receive attention. 

Belanger said having an air-ambulance based in the north will cut response times in half. He added all of the health commitments are being made in an effort to strengthen families.

“You have to look at ways and means to package an approach to make sure when you’re strengthening families you’re not only talking about mental health. You’re talking about physical and emotional health and really developing stable, focused, young children who are disciplined,” he said.

Belanger said the commitments will be paid for with money the SaskParty has wastefully spent in the past.

Dustin Duncan, Minister of Health and SaskParty MLA for Weyburn–Big Muddy said the comment was interesting.

“The NDP will say from time to time, as they are now, that this government has spent too much money and yet on the other hand they will say we need to spend more money and fund new and different programs,” he said.

“We’ve made a number of improvements in terms of improving access to mental health services and that’s the direction this government has gone and will continue to go if re-elected,” he added.

According to Duncan, the SaskParty has increased funding for mental health care by 35 per cent and has seen a 25 per cent increase in the number of psychiatrists practicing in the province between 2007 and 2015.  

The provincial election is set for April 4.

cswiderski@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @coltonswiderski