Tag: mental health

Categories
Cottage Life

Doctors can now prescribe a Parks Canada discovery pass

Photo by Shutterstock/Stas Moroz

Canadian physicians are prescribing a new treatment for improving patients’ mental and physical health: the outdoors. A collaboration between Parks Canada and PaRx, a national nature prescription program, allows registered physicians to prescribe patients with an annual Parks Canada discovery pass for free.

“We are very lucky in Canada to have a world of beautiful natural spaces at our doorstep to enjoy healthy outdoor activities. Medical research now clearly shows the positive health benefits of connecting with nature,” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, in a press release. “This exciting collaboration with PaRx is a breakthrough for how we treat mental and physical health challenges, and couldn’t come at a better time as we continue to grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our daily lives.”

The PaRx program was first launched by the B.C. Parks Foundation in November 2020. Throughout 2021, the program expanded to Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Physicians, nurses, and other licensed health care professionals in those four provinces, who are registered with PaRx, can now start prescribing Discovery Passes to patients.

The initiative looks to combat an increase in mental and physical health challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A Statistics Canada survey found that between 2020 and 2021, symptoms of depression, anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder jumped by four per cent among Canadians aged 18 and older.

“I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2022 than being able to give the gift of nature to my patients,” said Melissa Lem, a family physician in B.C. and the director of PaRx, in a press release. “There’s a strong body of evidence on the health benefits of nature time, from better immune function and life expectancy to reduced risk of heart disease, depression, and anxiety, and I’m excited to see those benefits increase through this new collaboration.”

An annual Discovery Pass for adults (which costs around $72) provides access to 80 locations across the country, including national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas, covering more than 450,000 square kilometres of land and water.

“Research shows that children and adults who are more connected to nature are not only more likely to work to conserve it, but also engage in other pro-environmental behaviours,” said Lem. “I like to think that every time one of my colleagues writes a nature prescription, we’re making the planet healthier, too.”

When prescribing the passes, PaRx is asking physicians to prioritize patients who live close to the sites and will get the most use out of the pass, as well as those who may find the price of a pass a barrier to accessing nature, said Prama Rahman, a spokesperson for the B.C. Parks Foundation.

With 1,000 physicians currently registered, PaRx plans to expand to all Canadian provinces and territories by the end of 2022.

Feature video

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Bell says its Let’s Talk Day event was a success, but not everyone agrees

Telecom giant Bell is celebrating another “successful” Bell Let’s Talk day event.

The company reports the number of interactions that took place during “the biggest conversation about mental health” increased by 3.2 percent in 2022.

The company also contributed $8.2 million to various mental health programs this year. The company has committed to allocate $155 million by 2025 to Canadian mental health. The $8.2 million means more than $129 million has been allocated so far.

The event also included personalized messages from a number of political leaders and influencers, such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chris Hadfield, telling Canadians it’s okay to ask for help.

While the event does create a conversation on mental health, it also makes it seem like those sharing messages about the initiative care about improving mental health. In many cases, that’s far from the truth.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was one of the many politicians who posted a message celebrating Bell Let’s Talk Day. “Together, let’s continue building a province where everyone can be fully supported on their journey to mental health wellness.”

Ford’s words come in stark comparison to his actions. One of the first things Ford’s government did when elected in 2018 was cut health care funding, including $335 million allocated to mental health.

As a company, Bell itself is also guilty of similar actions.

In a statement recounting the event’s success, Bell said the hashtag #BellLetsTalk was trending in Canada and around the world on Twitter. What it doesn’t state is not all of the hashtags were supportive of the initiative.

A quick search on Twitter reveals many accounts from people criticizing Bell and their campaign.

For example, Canadian journalist Jan Wong recounted how she was served with a non-disclosure agreement when suffering depression. She was a Bell employee at the time.

In February 2021, the company decided to shut down three radio stations in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Hamilton that covered sports. The change was abrupt and employees were laid off without notice. They received no prior warning during a global pandemic. Many employees in Toronto faced the same fate.

Source: Bell

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Bell Let’s Talk and Brain Canada donate over $4 million to mental health projects

Bell Let’s Talk and Brain Canada have awarded a total of $4,190,000 to five teams working on mental health-related research projects.

The funding comes through the Bell Let’s Talk-Brain Canada Mental Health Research Program, a joint initiative between the carrier and non-profit, with support from Health Canada.

More information on the projects can be found here.

Additionally, Bell’s latest annual “Bell Let’s Talk Day” is today, January 26th. As in previous years, the carrier pledges to donate 5¢ to mental health initiatives for “every applicable text, call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk, social media video view and use of our Facebook frame or Snapchat lens.” Last year, $7 million was raised. The general “Let’s Talk” goal, per the carrier, is to break “the stigma” surrounding mental health.

It should be noted, however, that the initiative has generated criticism, especially in recent years. Some have said the corporate advertising around that day, on top of feeling cynical, can lead them to feel more alone. Others have pointed out that the campaign only highlights certain major aspects of mental health, while leaving others, like borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia, aren’t addressed. The unique mental health struggles faced by racial minorities also go unmentioned.

Beyond that, some Canadians have criticized Bell for how its treated its own employees. One New Brunswick Bell employee said she was fired her mental health issues, while several other workers said aggressive sales targets led to vomiting, panic attacks and anxiety. The company also came under fire for laying off hundreds of people last year — less than one year into the pandemic, no less.

Source: Bell

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Bell Let’s Talk allocates thousands to expand mental health program in Indigenous communities

Bell’s Let’s Talk initiative is helping to enhance a crisis support service aimed at Indigenous communities.

$250,000 is being allocated to expand the Friendly Calls program put on by the Canadian Red Cross.

The program pairs a trained volunteer with callers feeling isolated for a social conversation and are connected to mental health supports in their communities. Feelings of loneliness and isolation have been growing problems during the ongoing pandemic.

The expansion will see the organization working with various Indigenous organizations, such as the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, to focus the program on the experiences specific communities face. Various Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers will also take part in designing the expansion later this year.

Grand Chief Arlen Dumas, from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said the pandemic impacted the mental health of many, adding to the challenges Indigenous youth and their families face on a daily basis.

“From pandemic response to vaccination campaigns to emergency preparedness efforts, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has a strong working relationship with the Canadian Red Cross. We look forward to supporting the development of their Friendly Calls program for Indigenous communities in partnership with Bell Let’s Talk,” Dumas said in a statement.

The funds are coming from a $700,000 donation made by Bell Let’s Talk and the Canadian Red Cross in 2020.

Source: Bell

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Canadian government launches PocketWell app for mental health

Canada’s federal government announced a new ‘PocketWell’ app on January 14th that expands the availability of the Wellness Together Canada (WTC) platform.

The government created WTC in 2020 in response to the significant increase in feelings of stress, anxiety and depression that came alongside the early months of the pandemic.

Now, two years into the pandemic, the government launched PocketWell. It’s a free companion app for smartphones and offers many of the same capabilities as the WTC website.

At the time of writing, I was able to access a mental health self-assessment tool in the PocketWell app, view lists of external services like numbers to call or text for counselling help, and other resources (although those just pointed back to the WTC website). The app also showed that a ‘Mood Meter’ was coming soon — it will allow users to check in daily and log how they’re feeling.

In a press release, the government said that over 2 million people across all the provinces and territories accessed the WTC portal as of January 10th, 2022. Further, 20,000-30,000 people use the services weekly. The government expects that the launch of PocketWell will lead to more Canadians using and benefiting from WTC. Moreover, the government cited a user survey that indicated 73 percent of users believed they would use WTC more frequently if an app were available. 83 percent said they could benefit from an easy way to track their mental well-being.

You can download PocketWell for free on iOS and Android, or visit the WTC website here.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Bell’s donation to post-secondary institutions ahead of Bell Let’s Talk Day fails to address existing concerns

Every year telecom giant Bell hosts an annual event encouraging Canadians to talk about mental health called Bell Let’s Talk Day.

Canadians often find themselves participating through one of the company’s many social media initiatives, asking for a tweet or filter on Instagram to be shared in order for a small amount to be donated towards a cause concerning mental health.

Ahead of the annual event on January 26th, the company has announced it’s donating $1 million towards mental health programs in 16 post-secondary institutions across the country.

The University of New Brunswick, University of Montreal, and Centennial College are just some of the institutions receiving the funds.

In a press release about the announcement, the company addresses the impact the spread of the novel coronavirus has on students. It cites a survey from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, which found the pandemic worsened presenting mental health challenges in 78 percent of students.

But what it has painfully failed to acknowledge is post-secondary students suffered from mental health challenges long before the pandemic, and institutions rarely did anything to address this.

Included in the press release is a quote from Janine Robb, the executive director of health and wellness at the University of Toronto.

Robb praises Bell for funding programs, which is ironic given the university was the subject of students protesting the lack of mental health services a couple of years ago.

In March 2019, students held a silent protest outside the office of the president of the university. Many held up signs that depicted the university’s inability to hear student input on programs addressing mental health.

Suicide among students here, like at other institutions, is unfortunately common. Between 2018 and 2019, four students died by suicide. The latest student to have lost their life was just over a year ago in November 2020.

Many have argued the university has failed to provide enough resources to accommodate the large cohort of students, leading to long waitlists the university won’t disclose.

The press release from Bell states the funds will be used to create new programs that fall in line with the National Standard for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students.

While funds addressing the ongoing issues in post-secondary students is a step in the right direction, it mostly seems to add to the ongoing conversation on mental health without addressing the need for more resources.

The concept relates back to the issues seen at UofT. While programs do exist, and more will be created through the funding, will there be enough resources to provide all students with the help they need in a timely manner?

Image credit: Bell Let’s Talk

Source: Bell Let’s Talk