COVID-19’s effects reach beyond our physical health. The isolation, the loneliness, and the fear we’ve been living with for nearly a year now are causing one of the worst mental health crises of our lifetime.
If we’re honest with ourselves, mental health wasn’t being addressed nearly enough pre-pandemic. From our available data in the CanWaCH Project Explorer, mental health was the second least addressed global health-related area of focus in the past decade.
Worldwide, suicide is a leading cause of death in young people, depression is a leading cause of disability, and the opioid crisis is responsible for killing over 750,000 per year. And that’s just a few of the many mental health related issues we face.
Yet, even here in Canada, the barriers to treatment—cost, stigma, wait times, and more—prevent people from getting the help they need.
Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day, and this year our theme is “Be There.” For us, this means continuing to be there throughout the year and beyond. That’s why going forward, we at CanWaCH are pledging to make mental health a priority focus for our organization and we’re asking you to do the same. Pledge to be there with us.
On Wednesday, March 10, at 1:00 pm EST, CanWaCH will be hosting a roundtable about mental health in a global context. Moderated by our very own Julia Anderson, CEO of CanWaCH, we will bring together a group of experts to discuss global mental health.
If you would like to learn more and receive updates about this roundtable, please RSVP here.
It’s time our sector takes collective action. #PledgeToBeThere
Published:
January 28, 2021
Categories:
SHARE THIS POST:
