COVID-19 Update for September 10 2020 – 1:00pm
Mental Health Funding
Today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the Government of Ontario is allocating an additional $14.75 million to expand access to mental health and addiction services.
This funding is in addition to $12 million in emergency funds the Province announced in April for mental health and addiction supports to address the impact of COVID-19.
The additional funding will help community-based mental health and addictions programs meet increasing service demands, including:
- $7 million to safely expand in-person mental health and addictions services to bridge current gaps brought on by COVID-19, including community-based services, congregate living and supportive housing;
- $4.75 million to support culturally safe services for Indigenous communities, with a focus on children and youth; and
- $3 million to expand virtual and online services including addictions supports, Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) and an online peer support community for mental health.
Research Funding
The Ontario government also announced an additional $2.9 million for eight research projects that aim to support Ontario’s response to COVID-19. These projects will focus on a wide variety of areas such as supporting the mental health and well-being of families and children, assessing the long-term health effects of COVID-19, the development of an app to better manage patient care and an evaluation of the effectiveness of wearing masks to block the virus.
We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.
To donate, please click on the organization below:
- Toronto – Food Banks Canada
- Thunder Bay – Food Banks North West
- Hamilton/Niagara – Hamilton Food Share
- Alberta – Hope Mission
Many thanks.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The Enterprise Team