Mental Health

Overview

North Bay has recognized the need for more mental health supports and has prioritized the need for an increase in access to 24/7 mental health supports outside of a hospital setting (Mayor’s Roundtable 2020). Moreover, in 2020, The Gateway Hub Table identified mental health and cognitive functioning as the top risk high-level risk priority (Gateway Hub, 2020). Similarly, the North Bay Police Service (2018) note that out of the approximate 30,000 calls the North Bay Police Service receives a year; 20% of the calls are primarily related to mental health and addictions. The Mayor’s Roundtable report (2020) indicates the Nipissing District has higher rates for levels of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and suicide than the provincial average. 

In terms of children's mental health, approximately 1 out of 4 hospital crisis calls are responded to by Community Mental Health child and family therapists (Mayor’s Rountable, 2020). Although crisis calls represent a need, capacity is required for timely treatment to mitigate and reduce risks and the potential for family breakdown. Similarly, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit have indicated that 1 out of 4 students in the region wanted to speak with someone about a mental health concern but did not know how to access supports (North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, 2017a).

The difficulty in navigating the local service system continues as it was more recently identified in the network mapping and focus groups (see the sub-reports also). There must be equal access to health services and social supports given they are important determinants of health (Mayor’s Roundtable, 2020). This illustrates that not only are adults experiencing mental health-related concerns in the region but children and adolescents are also experiencing these same concerns and not receiving adequate access to services. 

The North Bay survey noted those requiring programs and services indicate they need family doctors/physicians; medical specialists; affordable access to physiotherapy; therapists; chiropractors; counselling; (more mental health programs and services were also mentioned in this physical health section); increased access to recreational and physical activity, both indoors and outdoors (recreational centres, gyms, fitness centres, tennis and basketball courts, pools, running tracks, walking/hiking/bike trails, parks, greenspace); and police presence and programs. Respondents added that it is essential that physical health services and recreation and physical activities are affordable.

Outcomes:

• Mental health response matches the need: individuals are receiving the right response at the right time by the right service provider.
• The demand for incident responses and acute care resources is reduced relative to the supports provided at the onset of mental health.
• Risks to community safety in the area of mental health are addressed without the use of emergency resources where possible.

Performance Measures: 

• Mental health program waitlists.
• Psychiatric care waitlists.
• Primary care waitlists.
• Local police, emergency medical services, and fire services data.