A recent episode of TVO’s The Agenda offered a detailed look at the progress of Ontario’s mental health strategy, launched in 2011 to transform the province’s mental health system, and explored the strategy’s next steps which were recently announced by the government.
Steve Lurie, the Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Toronto, was a part of a panel of experts assembled to discuss this second phase of the strategy, released in November 2014. When asked what issues the next phase of the strategy should address, Lurie recommended a renewed focus on the capacity gaps still present in the system.
Lurie commended the strategy’s focus on housing, pointing out that in Toronto, as many as 8,900 people are currently waiting to be placed in supportive housing.
Along with a focus on expanding housing, employment supports and diversion and transitions from the justice system, the panelists also examined each of the other foundational pillars of phase two:
- Promoting mental health and well-being
- Ensuring early identification and intervention
- Providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place
- Funding based on need and quality.
To view the complete episode, visit the Agenda website.