Reforming health care in Canada, one community organization at a time

The pandemic has demonstrated in so many different ways that our health-care system is in desperate need of reform. While surgery backlogs, staff shortages, and overflowing emergency rooms are only some of the major issues that need to be fixed, we’ve also learned that there is another glaring health crisis looming that our system is nowhere near prepared for: the growing mental health crisis and the lack of services for those in need. Increased funding is long overdue for the mental health-care system in Canada, but as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, the government can’t just throw the money at a problem and hope it goes away. The government needs to be more specific in the funding it gives, and to target it wisely. It also needs to consider how it can better integrate other health-care providers into our system, for greater co-operation and collaboration between community organizations and the primary care system. In 2021 and 2022, the Mood Disorders Society of Canada undertook an extensive research project about the many benefits and innovative services that smaller mental health organizations offer in their respective communities. In our discussions with more than 50 organizations from all provinces and territories, we learned that many offer innovative programs for specific demographics, like 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous peoples, and others. Others offer support programs for grief, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Many provide hope and opportunity for those living with mental illness, by providing them with job training or peer support groups, or with a counsellor who will listen and help them work through it all. In short, these organizations are doing incredible work that is nothing short of life-saving for many. However, despite this amazing work, community organizations are consistently underfunded and lack support from governments at all levels. The vast majority of the organizations we spoke to told us of how they lack consistent, reliable core funding to be able to hire staff and run their operations. Many also told us of the struggles to find and retain qualified staff, and that they excessive amounts of time trying to acquire operating funds through grants and writing proposals. As one organization rightfully pointed out to us, “hospitals don’t have to fundraise to keep the lights on, but we do.” Providing stable and adequate funding isn’t the only solution to improving mental health care. People seeking mental health support often turn first to their family doctor, or find themselves in the ER when they don’t have a family doctor. Without knowledge of the programs offered by community organizations that might serve a patient well, family doctors and hospitals often don’t have many options of where to refer the patient to. There needs to be more co-ordination between primary healthcare systems and community mental health organizations, in all of our regions. These groups are offering services and programs that family physicians or hospitals aren’t able to give. Other patients are faced with financial barriers or wait-times of many months. Better co-operation and coordination between primary care and adequately resourced community mental health organizations would alleviate pressures off emergency rooms and lower wait times. Family physicians would have alternate referral opportunities to a local organization offering supports or programs that would be beneficial to their patients. We know the federal government is serious about reforming healthcare in Canada—after the last few years, especially—then we should consider innovative alternatives. In his end-of-the-year interviews, the prime minister spoke of having “strings attached” to funding going to the provinces for healthcare, and we firmly believe one of those strings should be increased funding dedicated solely to community organizations. Our pre-budget submission to the Department of Finance outlines just that, and we believe that our healthcare system would benefit immensely from the expertise and offerings from community organizations across the country. Dave Gallson is the national executive director of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, a national association providing people with mood disorders with a strong, cohesive voice at the national level to improve access to treatment, inform research, and shape program development and government policies with the goal of improving the quality of life for people affected by mood disorders. The Hill Times