That’s why, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, recently launched a new portal dedicated to mental wellness on Canada.ca/coronavirus and the Canada COVID-19 app. Wellness Together Canada will connect Canadians to peer support workers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals for confidential chat sessions or phone calls. It will make it easier to find credible information and help address mental health and substance use issues.

The portal came to fruition thanks to a broad consortium of organizations with experience in providing digital mental health and substance use support, including Stepped Care Solutions, Kids Help Phone, Homewood Health, Greenspace Health, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and the Canadian Psychological Association.

Locally many organizations like the Public Health Sudbury & District and the Canadian Mental Health Association of Sudbury/Manitoulin continue to share updates with residents and have adapted new ways to support and help residents in the Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury region.

Quotes

“Mental wellness is difficult to maintain with the disruptions happening now. It’s not easy to maintain a routine. People in every community are struggling and need our help. That’s why we are acting today to make it easier for Canadians to identify, understand and address issues they are facing, with multiple tools and resources available on one platform.”
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health

“In a time of great uncertainty, it is normal to face feelings of anxiety and fear. It’s important to remember that while practicing recommended public health measures like physical distancing that we do not forget to continue connecting virtually with our friends and loved ones. We can continue to seek positivity around us and feel inspired by the good happening in our communities and to acknowledge the hard work that volunteers and front-line workers continue to do to for all of us. To them, we send a big thank you. I encourage all Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury residents to use the new mental wellness tools provided should the need arise and to remember you are not alone.”
 – Marc G. Serré MP Nickel Belt

Quick Facts

• COVID-19 results in varying degrees of stress for many Canadians who do not have ready access to their regular support networks. The entire suite of tools on Wellness Together Canada will offer Canadians different levels of support depending on their need, ranging from information and self-assessment tools, to the opportunity to chat with peer support workers and other professionals.
• The launch of Wellness Together Canada builds on the support of $5 million provided to Kids Help Phone to meet increased demand to provide young people with the mental health support they need during this difficult time, as a result of school closures and reduced access to community resources.

Associated Links

Wellness Together Canada
Canada COVID-19 mobile app
Public Health Sudbury & Districts Mental Health COVID-19
Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury/Manitoulin Chapter

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Contact

Kaylie Dudgeon
Special Assistant, MP Nickel Belt Marc G. Serré
705-507-2416 / [email protected]