The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) released a statement during Mental Health Week reminding the provincial government to support and care for those living with mental illness. At the OMA’s Annual General Meeting, held the last weekend of April, a motion was passed reaffirming the commitment of Ontario’s doctors to advocate for improvements to mental health care as the government prepares to release its 10-Year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy.
Earlier this year, the OMA released a policy platform, “Better care. Healthier patients. A stronger Ontario.” Their document outlined 41 policy recommendations, including several on mental health such as:
- Consolidating all mental health services under one ministry;
- Implementing a mental health strategy that ensures continuity of care and a smooth transition to adult care for teenagers and young adults; and
- Ensuring all primary care physicians and psychiatrists have access to, or the option of, participating in a team-based model of care.
For more information see, “The Time to Strengthen Care for Patients with a Mental Illness is Now”, available at www.oma.org.