Starting today, there is up-to-date information on community supports that are available in Cumberland, Colchester and Hants counties, for those affected by the 2020 Nova Scotia Mass Shooting. It comes after recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission. You can now go online to check out mobile clinic hours, locations, community health and wellness supports, as well as any feedback at: https://novascotia.ca/community-support/
“Last week, we made a commitment to provide immediate mental health and grief support to the communities most impacted by the tragedy that began in Portapique three years ago, and to work with them to design and deliver the programs and services that meet their unique needs long-term,” said Brian Comer, Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health. “We’ve made progress in our first week, and we’re bringing in new people and linking to more services and supports every day while our team continues to listen and gather feedback on the community’s needs.”
The mobile health and wellness team can provide:
— primary care assessments, support and navigation
— prescription refills or renewals (except for controlled substances)
— navigation to grief and bereavement resources
— mental health and wellness services, like brief intervention and navigation to other resources, including ongoing mental health and addictions supports.
A community engagement team will also be available Saturday afternoon at West Colchester Consolidated School to gather feedback and hear directly from the community about their needs. This information will help inform the programs and services that will be available over the long-term. Community members are invited to participate in conversations starting at 1:30 p.m.
As the website expands, dates, times and locations will be updated.
A new dedicated outreach worker based in Truro started on Monday, May 1, and will be supported by clinical and engagement staff in northern Nova Scotia. Recruitment is underway for the following positions:
— mental health and addictions clinical therapists
— mental health and addictions community outreach worker
— primary healthcare nurse practitioners, social workers and emotional wellness counselors/navigators.
An $18 million commitment was made from both the provincial and federal governments on creating this support, with each government committing $9 million, each.