Opposition Leader and Pictou East MLA Tim Houston says thousands of Nova Scotians dealing
Pictou East MLA and PC Leader Tim Houston
with Mental Health issues could manage better if they had the proper support and help. However, Houston says for many, that help is out of reach.
Recently, Houston released the PC party’s Mental Health and Addictions Plan. It proposes a separate department dedicated to mental health and addictions, opening billing codes to allow private practitioners to deliver their service to everyone, a 24/7 mental-telehealth service, and a 9-8-8 mental health crisis line. It also proposes attracting new mental health professionals to the province and increasing training options for health professionals and educators. Houston, during a stop in Antigonish late last week, says access to more mental health and addictions professionals to all Nova Scotians is key.
Houston says right now, the province has a two tier system for mental health and addictions and it’s not working. Houston says he’d like to ensure Nova Scotians get the support they need and leverage services already available in the province.