Ontario’s Psychologists Can Help Reduce Wait Lists For Children – Huffington Post Canada
December 1, 2016
Why isn’t Ontario bringing in psychologists to help solve the crisis over long wait times for therapy for children with severe mental health disorders?
“This point can never be overstated: psychological/psychotherapy services need to be woven into our public health system,” tweeted Knowledge Exchange Manager and youth advocate Christopher Canning of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Ontario Auditor General, Bonnie Lysyk recently released her annual report which indicated the number of children and youth hospitalized with mental health concerns increased by 50 per cent since 2009 and that the government spent close to $10 million to send 127 youth to the U.S. for treatment due to a shortage of psychiatrists here.
“There is a risk that the mental health of children and youth can deteriorate while waiting for service, but little is done to monitor wait time trends and their impact,” notes Lysyk in her report.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/patricia-tomasi/ontario-child-psychologist-wait-lists_b_13333896.html
