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BC Budget 2016: Missed opportunity to prioritize the mental health of British Columbians

More action needed to put mental health and physical health on an equal footing says Canadian Mental Health Association

Vancouver, British Columbia – Yesterday’s release of the 2016 provincial budget couldhave been a watershed moment in progress toward treating the physical and mental health needs of British Columbians equally, Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division CEO Bev Gutray said today.

“The key message from yesterday’s budget release is the fact BC continues to outperform other provinces financially. A budget surplus of $264M, a $100M prosperity fund, and a 3% increase in health spending, all represent an opportunity to spend smart, while doing all we can to intervene early and provide timely access to good quality mental health and addictions treatment and support for children, youth and adults to recover in community. Instead, the government’s priority is debt reduction,” said Gutray.

Here is our take on Budget 2016 when it comes to mental health and addictions.

Budget 2016:

“Budget 2016 does not substantively respond to the recommendations of the Select Standing Committees on Finance and Children and Youth, which have called for significant targeted investments in mental health and addictions, especially for young people,” said Gutray. “BC might be leading the pack in overall health, but according to the Conference Board of Canada’s 2013 research on self-reported mental health, we are the fourth province from bottom. We get a B-grade. We will continue to fall behind until we put mental health on the same footing as physical health in our provincial spending.”

About the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA):
CMHA is Canada’s most established mental health charity and the nation-wide leader and champion for mental health. CMHA helps people access the resources they need to maintain and improve mental health, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness. Each year in BC alone, CMHA serves more than 100,000 people all across the province. To learn more about CMHA in BC visit www.cmha.bc.ca.

To schedule interviews, contact:
Jennifer Quan, Marketing and Communications Manager
Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division
604-688-3234 or jennifer.quan@cmha.bc.ca

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