Waits for mental health services for children and youth in Sarnia-Lambton are lengthening, the head of the lead local agency providing that care says.
Waits for mental health services for children and youth in Sarnia-Lambton are lengthening, the head of the lead local agency providing that care says.
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“Right now, we’re probably looking at an average wait of one year to get a psychological assessment completed,” said Craig McKenzie, executive director with St. Clair Child and Youth Services.
It also takes up to half a year for specialized counseling and therapy services, he said.
“It really underscores the critical need for action,” he said.
The about 70-worker, Point Edward agency has joined with others in Ontario’s community health sector as part of a For Us For You campaign for more provincial government funding.
The current wage gap between social workers and psychotherapists in the sector and their counterparts working in hospitals and schools is 20 to 30 per cent, McKenzie said.
The 10 organizations participating in the campaign, representing 200,000 workers, say it would take $2 billion to close the gap, officials said in a news release.
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Meanwhile, St. Clair Child and Youth Services workers dealing with inflated costs and who haven’t received back pay owed from an unconstitutional wage freeze under Bill 124, are moving on to better paying jobs, McKenzie said.
“As long as I’ve been in the field, there’s always been a bit of a gap between sectors,” said McKenzie, adding he’s spent 30 years in the sector.
“But that has grown significantly.”
At St. Clair, workers are picking up second jobs to make end’s meet, he said.
Other’s are staying on part-time at St. Clair because they believe in what they do, but also need to seek better paying work elsewhere, he said.
The agency has offered full-time benefits and job sharing for part-time work to help fill vacancies, but has struggled to find candidates, he said.
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“We’re doing everything we can to be creative to attract more folks into the workforce,” he said, including working with social worker programs at nearby schools to help recruit workers as they graduate.
“You name it, we’re thinking about it,” McKenzie said.
Two positions remain unfilled at the agency, he said.
Longer waits for care lead to more system burdens and costs elsewhere, he said, including emergency room visits, families taking time off work, and more youth in the justice system, he said.
“We know that an investment earlier in children’s mental health certainly comes at a reduced cost.”
Most workers at St. Clair Child and Youth Services are represented by OPSEU Local 145, he said.
The union is “well aware of the campaign,” he said. “They are aligned with us in the campaign.”
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Plans are to meet soon with Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey to advocate for more Children’s Mental Health Ontario funding, he said, adding it’s about equity and fairness.
The overall sector funding request is an extra $500 million a year for five years, he said.
“To address the ongoing annual increases and the projected inflation that our staff face,” he said. “As well, (it’s) an opportunity for government to address the shortfalls that our staff face from Bill 124 in our mental health sector.
“We’re just inviting government to the table to be part of the solution.”
Associations participating in the For Us For You campaign:
- Addictions and Mental Health Ontario
- AdvantAge Ontario
- Alliance for Healthier Communities
- Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
- Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario
- Children’s Mental Health Ontario
- Family Service Ontario
- Indigenous Primary Health Care Council
- Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic Association
- Ontario Community Support Association
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