Today, I’ll be participating in a national conversation to break the stigma associated with mental illness.
The second annual Bell Let’s Talk Day is taking place nationwide.
The initiative seeks to break the often negative stigma associated with mental illness. In support of the event, Bell Canada will contribute five cents for every long distance call and text message its customers make to support mental health related programs across the country.
Olympian Clara Hughes will help kick off the conversation, which includes an online portal at http://bell.ca/letstalk. Visitors to the site can post their comments and questions while learning about mental illness and how they can begin their own conversations at home and in the workplace.
The event is part of the largest ever mental health initiative by a Canadian-corporation. The five-year $50 million Bell Mental Health Initiative was announced in September 2010 and focuses on 4 pillars: anti-stigma efforts, improving care and access, research support, and new workplace initiatives.
It’s important to recognize mental illness can affect anyone. It could be your neighbour, your family member, a friend or even yourself.
To help treat this patient population, York Central Hospital launched a pilot project at Alexander Mackenzie High School. From December 2011 to June 2012, an on-site mental health professional will be at the school one day a week to connect students with the appropriate resources and to also provide an immediate link to York Central Hospital, if necessary.
“The presence of the on-site mental health worker aims to reduce the stigma often associated with mental health as well as provide students with the information they may require in a comfortable and familiar environment,” says Donna Spevakow, Senior Project Manager & Operations Director of the Mental Health Program at York Central Hospital.
The project was made possible by the James Peek Memorial Golf Classic. The tournament was created to support mental health initiatives in honour of James Peek, who suffered from mental illness as a teenager. Since the first tournament 12 years ago, the James Peek Memorial Golf Classic has designated more than $250,000 towards the mental health program at York Central Hospital.
York Central Hospital offers many other Mental Health Inpatient and Outpatient services including a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Day Treatment Program, Day Hospital and Crisis Intervention Services, to name a few. Our dedicated team of mental health experts works hard to ensure those suffering from mental illness get the care they require.
To find out how you can help support mental health initiatives at York Central Hospital, please give me a call at 905-883-2032 or email bleacy@yorkcentral.on.ca
In the meantime, I hope you will join me in the conversation.
Wishing you the best of health,
Bill Leacy
President & CEO
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