Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division has prioritized the advancement of community-based mental health and addictions care across the province in its 2020 pre-budget submission to the Ontario government.
CMHA Ontario has proposed four recommendations for mental health and addictions spending, emphasizing the importance of community-based programs and services as a way to relieve pressures currently facing hospital emergency departments and the criminal justice system:
- Investments for the new Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence that focus on establishing core mental health and addictions services, a comprehensive data and performance measurement strategy for the mental health and addictions sector, and quality improvement supports, especially for community-based mental health and addictions agencies
- New investments in mental health and addictions supportive housing, including an additional 30,000 supportive housing units over the next 10 years
- New investments in community-based, 24-hour, mental health and addictions crisis programs to help ease hospital emergency department overcrowding
- A base budget increase of three per cent to sustain current service delivery capacity and meet growing demands across the community-based mental health and addictions sector in Ontario
CMHA Ontario welcomes the ongoing opportunities to partner with the provincial government, Ontario Health and the new Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence to advance health system transformation and address the growing needs of Ontarians living with mental health and addictions issues.