'Definitely needed': P.E.I. mental health advocates applaud more clinics
Advocates still calling for more to be done in Island's mental health system
Some mental health advocates say more mental health walk-in clinics on weekends in Charlottetown are a positive step.
The province said it's expanding clinic hours and locations due to the reduction in the number of psychiatrists available through the QEH emergency room.
Daniel Boudreau, who has dealt with mental health issues and the mental health system on P.E.I., said the clinics are a good start, but said there's still more work to do such as more walk-in clinics and psychiatrists.
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"This extra clinic just means that that's somebody else that they can talk to and that's great," said Boudreau.
This could be the first step to somebody discovering their own mental illness and taking the steps to work on it.— Daniel Boudreau
"I think it's definitely needed because there's so many people who are touched with mental illness. There's even people out there who are touched with it who, because of the stigma of mental illness, don't really want to admit it to other people … and I think that this is probably another step where they can maybe go in and talk about it."
'Could be first step'
"This could be the first step to somebody discovering their own mental illness and taking the steps to work on it," he said.
Boudreau said it's important for people who are dealing with mental health issues to know there are people to talk to, especially when someone is need of professional help.
The 27-year-old said his mental health issues stem from being diagnosed with epilepsy as a child. He said he got corrective brain surgery in 2014 and is now 90 per cent seizure-free.
More clinics meets ask from advocacy group
Sarah Stewart-Clark, founder of Island Mothers Helping Mothers and the How Many Wade mental health campaign, said she's pleased to see more immediate access to counsellors as it was one of the asks of the campaign.
She said this change could help people who often don't seek help because they don't know where to go.
"Having these walk-in clinics will be very important for people to very quickly access the mental health services that they need," said Stewart-Clark.
Stewart-Clark said she's excited to hear about the extra resources on weekends.
Challenges accessing help after-hours
"We do have a challenge with individuals trying to access mental health services and typically the availability of counseling and psychologists in an non-emergency situation has been really limited. And so I'm happy to see that the government is looking at what works best for the patients," said Stewart-Clark.
While Stewart-Clark said she believes there's still more work to be done and this move won't solve all of the problems.
Still concerns about shortage of doctors
"It doesn't replace the fact that we have an extreme shortage of psychiatrists. So the type of care that psychiatrists provide is very different from what a counsellor would provide and so we need both," said Stewart-Clark.
Last month, CBC P.E.I. reported that only half of P.E.I.'s psychiatrist positions are filled by actively working doctors.
"This is definitely something we're excited to see happen and we will continue to encourage the government to invest in mental health services until we see that psychiatric coverage increase," she said.
Starting this weekend the clinics are Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the McGill Centre in Charlottetown (55 McGill Avenue).
The province is also adding a Friday mental health clinic from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the McGill Centre starting Oct. 20.
No appointment or referral needed
Islanders who attend the clinics will be able to see a registered community mental health therapist for up to an hour. No appointment or referral is needed. The new clinics are in addition to clinics already in place in Charlottetown, and in Prince County communities.
Stewart-Clark would also like to see clinics in Kings County and is still concerned about the shortage of psychiatrists on P.E.I. overall.
Health PEI said it continues to focus on recruiting more psychiatrists, and that "a number" of psychiatry residents and locums will begin working on the Island in the coming months.
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