Nurses are calling on the provinces to offer more accessible mental health supports, especially to youth.
Provincial and Territorial leaders are in Edmonton for the Premier’s summit.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions co-hosted a breakfast where they outlined the desperate situation faced across the nation in mental health care.
Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union President, Janet Hazelton says the province needs to pay for children to see psychologists.
“We know that if we can prevent and treat properly the mental health illnesses at a young age, then they don’t go on to have mental health challenges as adults. And we know also, that, many of the people in our prisons have mental health issues that weren’t treated as children.”
Hazelton says the resources are already in place.
“I believe there are psychologists and social workers and nurses and others that could be doing some of this work. That could be doing the counselling. They’re there, they’re in the communities, they’re able to do it. What we need to do is make it accessible.”
Hazelton says by offering mental health services to children, the long term savings to government would more than offset the cost.