Mental Health and Addictions Strategy

A year ago, the province launched Nova Scotia’s first-ever mental health and addictions strategy, Together We Can.

The strategy put the province’s commitment to improving mental health and addictions care for Nova Scotians into action.

With this report, we are sharing an update on the first year of that work, and outlining the work for the years ahead.

Read Together We Can Strategy - One Year Update

 

Read Together We Can Strategy

 

Read the Full Report and Recommendations

Health and Wellness has released Nova Scotia's first ever government-wide strategy for mental health and addictions care called Together We Can: The Plan to Improve Mental Health and Addictions Care for Nova Scotians.

The five-year plan outlines 33 actions to provide better care sooner for Nova Scotians living with mental illness and addictions and their families.

Some of the key actions include:

• Funding projects of community agencies to help Nova Scotians of all ages living with mental illness and addictions - Download Community Grants Program application guidelines and form (Word Document)
• Placing mental health clinicians in SchoolsPlus family of schools in all school boards in Nova Scotia to identify and treat mental health problems of children and youth earlier
• Expanding opioid replacement treatment to areas of the province with the greatest need
• Expanding the successful Strongest Families program, which provides telephone coaching to families that have children with behavioral or anxiety difficulties, across the province
• Expanding peer support to help people with mental illness transition successfully from the hospital to the community
• Expanding the toll-free crisis line across the province to make sure that people with mental health and addictions concerns are able to talk to someone immediately

The 2012/13 provincial budget contained $5.2 million in new funding for the first year of implementing the Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. Download Mental Health and Addictions Investments detail document.

The Mental Health and Addictions Strategy was informed by the recommendations outlined in the April 2012 report called Come Together. Learn more about this report.