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Praising, Growing, Caring, Sharing Starting September 13, 2010 Programs for bringing Different cultures together ADULT PROGRAMS English Conversation Circle Tues. 10:00-11:30 a.m. & Thurs. 7:00-8:30 p.m. Navigating Canadian Life Wed 7:00-8:30 p.m. Hanji Art ($20 for materials)Thurs. 4:00 4:50 p.m. CHILDRENS PROGRAMS Hopedale Youth Orchestra Mon. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Taekwondo ($40/month) Tues. & Thurs. 4:00-4:50 p.m. Soccer and Table Tennis Sat. 4:00-5:00 p.m. 156 Third Line, Oakville 905-827-3851 For more information visit our website: www.hopedalechurch.ca http://cafe.daum.net/hopedalechurch Bridging Cultures in Oakville Specializing in affordable Dream Kitchens 9 Thursday , Septem ber 2, 2010 O A KVILLE BEA V ER w w w .o akvillebeaver .co m By Nathan Howes OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF After 18 months of chairing a provincial review of mental health services in Ontario, Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn is convinced the expertise and funding is available for people who need help. The problem, he found, was getting peo- ple access to those services. Last week, the Ontario Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions released its final report titled, Navigating the Journey to Wellness: The Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Ontarians A key recommendation in the 64-page report calls for is the creation of a new umbrella organization, Mental Health and Addictions Ontario (MHAO), which is responsible to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. According to the report, the MHAO is needed to ensure that a single body is responsible for designing, managing, and coordinating the mental health and addic- tions system, and that programs and services are delivered consistently and comprehen- sively across Ontario. What we found out is there is incredible expertise in the province. Its not like were short of skills and the funding of services for the most part is pretty good compared to other jurisdictions, said Flynn. If I had a mental health problem I needed to deal with, Id be thankful that I lived in Ontario from a funding perspective. Flynn says the problem is having access to those services. There doesnt appear to be a coordinated way for an ordinary family to access the serv- ices. Instead of going to the family doctor, you may end up going to the emergency room in a crisis, said Flynn. In some emer- gency rooms, youll get instantly transferred to a region of the hospital where they deal specifically with mental health issues. The creation of the umbrella organization was just one of the reports 23 recommenda- tions from the committee which was formed in February 2009 with a mandate to consid- er and report observations and recommenda- tions in regards to an Ontario mental health and addictions strategy. Although it was an all-party committee, the members put their political differences aside, said Flynn. They recognized that mental health is not a political issue, but a health issue that affects millions of Ontarians every year, he said. In this case, all the parties got together and we all left all our membership cards at the door and just came in as ordinary people that wanted to solve the problem, said Flynn. This report is the result of a commit- ment by the McGuinty government to bring the issue of mental health and addiction out of the shadows and address the challenges faced in the delivery of services. During its mandate, the committee held 25 public hearings with testimony from more than 200 people from across Ontario. The committee received many written submissions and went beyond ordinary hear- ing venues and made site visits to mental health and addictions facilities as well as vis- its to several First Nations communities. During the 18-month period, Flynn and the other eight members talked to hundreds of people and heard numerous stories about experiences that theyve gone through. These stories moved him to push for these recommendations. He recalled a story about a man, who had been treated for schizophrenia when he was younger, but didnt realize he had it until he was an adult and married. No one had really explained this to him or followed up on this. As he told his story, it became apparent that the man had spent some time in jail and he didnt know what for, said Flynn. It became apparent that he had done something very serious and he sat there and looked us in the eye and told us he couldnt get the treatment he needed. And because the man wasnt able to access the services he needed, he killed his own son. That makes you kind of draw a breath pretty quickly when your sitting across from somebody who just admitted they killed their own son as a result of not being able to get the treatment, said Flynn. When you hear people say things like that, you realize that something has gone wrong with the system that theres people dealing with issues out there that we just dont know about. After some time spent in jail and consid- eration given for his mental condition, the man is able to cope with the disease with the help of his wife. Flynn had spoken to numerous professionals that came before the committee and is convinced that mental illness is growing. Im convinced there is an increase in anxiety and depression amongst the popula- tion. It seems to be increasing among young people, said Flynn. The days of locking them up and forgetting about them are long gone. There is some pretty good treatment out there and services that people need. Flynn noted that the report wasnt all gloom and doom, however. He said there are a number of great services available and people are doing a good job but it is not con- sistent across the province. He mentioned Halton Region as an example. When you look right here in the region of Halton, (what) the service providers with- in Oakville have been able to do with the Our Kids Network is really something spe- cial, said Flynn. Once it goes through the provincial leg- islature and has been adopted, Flynn wants a provincial review in two years to deter- mine the progress of the committees rec- ommendations. Youre not going to create the Umbrella organization overnight. We want the legisla- ture to go back and maybe form another select committee that can choose which way it wants to monitor the progress of our work in this regard, said Flynn. But within two years, we should take a look at where we are. "For those battling mental health and addiction issues in our own community and for the many wonderful service providers in Oakville and the Region of Halton, this report should stand as a positive step for- ward. The report can be accessed through the Legislative Assembly of Ontario website at www.ontla.on.ca. Report calls for improved access to mental health services There doesnt appear to be a coordinated way for an ordinary family to access the services. Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, chair of the Ontario Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions