Thank you very much for this opportunity. I really appreciate being here.
As the national CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, I'm honoured to be representing the 86 divisions and branches that provide direct services and programs to people with mental health problems and illnesses. Our broad network of over 5,000 staff and 10,000 volunteers provides mental health services and programs to over one million Canadians annually. We are present in over 330 communities in each province and the Yukon territory. Right now the phones are ringing off the hook at those CMHAs all across the country, so today I want to talk about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and offer you some solutions.
We applaud the federal government for its swift whole-of-government response to this rapidly accelerating pandemic. We also commend the commitment to provide mental health support to Canadians during these unprecedented times, including the newly announced portal for mental health and substance abuse that has been named Wellness Together Canada. I'm very excited to see that announced today.
Now more than ever we need to ensure our mental health care system is empowered to meet Canadians’ needs. We are already seeing signs of a potential “echo pandemic” of mental health issues as a result of COVID-19. Just last week the CBC reported on the surge in demand at CMHA Nova Scotia. It typically receives 25 calls per day, but is now fielding 700 daily requests for mental health support. These requests come mostly from people without a history of mental illness.
Canadians are very worried. They’re worried about contracting the disease. They’re worried about their family and friends. They’re worried about losing their jobs and ability to make ends meet. People with serious mental illness and addiction are particularly vulnerable. Many of CMHA’s clients are facing housing instability and live in situations where practising physical distancing and infection control is very challenging. In many communities, the programs, services and treatments they rely on have been suspended. They're at serious risk of infection, loneliness, increased symptoms and relapse.
Indigenous peoples are perhaps the most vulnerable of any population in Canada. Many community members live with serious mental health issues as a result of colonization and experience the highest youth suicide rates in the country. Older adults have small social networks and limited access to technology, which weakens their opportunities for connection. We're concerned that these issues will only be exacerbated by pandemic conditions.
Our health care and front-line workers are also at risk for mental health issues, as Dr. Liu so poignantly explained. As you've been hearing, the challenges and pressing needs they are facing on the job every day are triggering fear, anger and anxiety. The grave consequences of the substantial burden these workers are carrying is already emerging in China, Italy and the United States. A recent study found that health care workers who treated COVID-19 patients in China reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress. In Italy, at least two nurses on the front lines have died by suicide. Health care workers in the U.S. are using the term “moral injury” to describe their experience of physical and mental exhaustion, fear of infection, inadequate supply of personal protective equipment, and the heartbreak of making very difficult decisions.
We’re only just beginning to grasp the mental health impacts of COVID-19. As our experience supporting Albertans following the Fort McMurray fires revealed, recovery takes time, sometimes up to two years. Research conducted one year after the SARS epidemic found increases in psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder among patients and clinicians. We won’t know the full picture of the impact, but our experience tells us the mental health impacts will be significant.
Simply put, Canadians need an immediate and substantial investment in mental health to prevent that “echo pandemic” of mental health problems. That’s why we’re supporting Canadians now and we’re already planning for the recovery period ahead. As a pioneer and leader in community mental health since 1918, we’re focused on mental health promotion and prevention.
We aim to keep people out of the hospital, shoring up the mental health of Canadians before their issues escalate, while supporting those with severe and persistent mental illness to help them live better during and after treatment. Our vast network includes mental health and addiction counsellors, therapists, nurse practitioners, peer supporters and recovery coaches. They're on the ground in the neighbourhoods where Canadians live, work and play. We stand ready to mobilize this network to bring more mental health supports to Canadians who need them most in this time of crisis.
We can quickly scale up proven programs in English and French to reach thousands of people. Our cost-effective, evidence-based solutions are designed for children and youth, older adults, indigenous people and first responders. For all Canadians, we offer a program called BounceBack. This is a skill-building program based on cognitive behavioural therapy. In B.C. alone, more than 11,000 people have participated, and 85% said that the program helped them make lasting, positive change to reduce anxiety and depression.
For front-line workers, we offer peer support through a program called OSI-CAN, and mental health awareness training through Resilient Minds. These two programs are based on professionals helping each other and have provided health and healing to hundreds of front-line workers since their inception. With rapid government investment, we can immediately scale and ensure that these proven programs have nationwide reach, including to rural and remote communities.
While getting resources to Canadians experiencing mental health problems and illness now, in the midst of the pandemic, remains our priority, it is also crucial to plan for the future. We are already looking ahead to the national recovery and ways to support people as they transition back to normal life. Our recovery colleges are mental health learning centres that provide education and peer support through courses on well-being. There are recovery colleges in 11 communities in Canada already, with many CMHAs eager to develop their own.
The Canadian Mental Health Association’s mandate is one of mental health for all. We know that meeting this goal requires meaningful government investment in mental health. Canadians deserve access to publicly funded, evidence-based therapies, and to a complement of mental health and social supports. As the mental health impacts of COVID-19 will differ based on each person’s economic and social circumstances, we know that good mental health starts with having the basics, such as meaningful employment and adequate housing.
In addition to helping people now, we must also ensure that we are prepared for the inevitable demands that are going to be made on the mental health system as a result of the increases in depression, psychological distress, substance abuse, PTSD and domestic violence that almost always accompany large-scale disasters. As the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed, our economy is completely dependent on the well-being of our population. To restart our economy and secure its lasting recovery, we must ensure that Canadians are healthy enough, both physically and mentally, to return to work and to their daily activities.
Canadians know that mental health is just as important as physical health. As we will underscore during Mental Health Week—which is May 4 to 10 this year, led by CMHA for nearly 70 years—while one in five Canadians experiences mental illness in a typical year, five in five Canadians need to protect their mental health.
We’re truly at a crossroads. While motivation to seek help has never been higher, the mental health sector lacked capacity to meet demand before the pandemic began. We must act now to ensure we are prepared for a surge in mental health problems as a result of COVID-19.
Now more than ever, Canada must demonstrate true vision and leadership on mental health. We know Canadians will reach out for help. They're reaching out right now. We’re simply asking you to please empower us to reach back.
Thank you again for the invitation to speak to you today. I look forward to answering your questions.