The government of Ontario is supporting 14 mental health projects for post-secondary students to obtain better health care services more quickly.
Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced $9 million worth of investments, including up to an annual $6 million for the Mental Health Innovation Fund.
The Mental Health Innovation Fund was created in 2012 to assist “Open Minds, Healthy Minds,” a comprehensive mental health and addictions strategy to support Ontarians’ mental health in all stages of their lives.
“To build a brighter future for our province, we need to build a brighter future for every one of our students,” Wynne said in a statement. “The investments we are making today in mental health services for post-secondary students will go a long way toward making sure young people in Ontario can truly realize their full potential.”
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 10 to 20 per cent of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder, while only one out of five of those who require mental health services receive them.
“The Student Alliance for Mental Health is excited for Premier Kathleen Wynne’s support of mental health infrastructure and look forward to such initiatives being put into place,” the organization’s vice-president (internal) Greg Owens said. “Post-secondary institutions should be able to provide their students with accessible and affordable professional care, on both an ongoing and emergency basis.”
The funding focuses on aiding students in post-secondary who are Indigenous, have addictions, or have mental health issues while transitioning from high school.
Emithyst Mastromarco, a second-year psychology student at Carleton University, said she feels this focus may impede the funding’s impact.
“With this focus, it really narrows the number of individuals who could be reached by this program, but every student could benefit from these mental health initiatives,” Mastromarco said.
