Military children to receive more help in Ontario

[Armymedic]

As a father of 2 elementry school age girls, I had found the Ont gov'ts position on this appalling. My 6 yr old asked my wife "If Daddy goes to Afghanistan, will he die?"

If this is an indiction of the stress children of soldiers face, then lets get off our hih hors people and do what is right.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/print/CTVNews/20070413/military_children_070413/20070413/?hub=Canada&subhub=PrintStory

CTV.ca News Staff
 
Updated: Fri. Apr. 13 2007 11:25 PM ET

Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin chastised provincial and federal politicians for failing to properly fund mental health services for military children -- but said action is now finally being taken to correct the shortfall.


"The intensity of the harm caused by war-related stress and anxiety can be reduced and managed with timely and effective intervention by trained counsellors," said Marin.


After both her parents were stationed in Afghanistan, 12-year-old Micah Gilchrist fell into a depression.


"I started to lock myself in my room, I didn't want to talk to anyone," Gilchrist told CTV News.


"I didn't want to be happy because I didn't want to feel guilty that my parents would get hurt or they would die or something."


Anxiety, aggression and thoughts of suicide are on the rise for children like Gilchrist.


In Petawawa alone, the base has lost 20 soldiers. Ninety families have requested help, which is 10 times more than before the mission began.


The local counselling agency is overwhelmed with requests, their waiting list up to six months in length.


"It's very much like standing by the side of a river and seeing people drowning," said Greg Lubomiv of the Phoenix Centre for Families.


"We know how to save them, but we're not being provided with the tools."


Marin agrees and said the primary responsibility falls on the province.


He argued the situation in Ontario has left dozens of children suffering while provincial and federal politicians bicker about who should fund the programs.


"We in Ontario have been failing to provide the support that is required," said Marin.


The Ombudsman launched an investigation March 1 after a complaint was received from the executive director of the Phoenix Centre -- the only children's mental health facility near CFB Petawawa.


The centre accused the provincial government of failing to provide adequate services for military children, despite a demand for psychological counselling that jumped from two per cent to 20 per cent.


Marin announced Friday that the Ontario government had accepted three key recommendations from his report:


To immediately fund children's mental health services through the Phoenix Centre;
To ensure long-term mental health support for the children of military personnel in consultation with the federal government;
Provide the Ombudsman's office with monthly progress reports.

The provincial government, which received the report on March 28, has agreed to give an additional $24.5 million for children's mental health centres. Marin said that $400,000 over two years will go specifically to the Phoenix Centre.


Originally, the province said caring for the mental health of military children was a federal responsibility because of the war in Afghanistan.


In response, Ottawa insisted that mental-health services were to be paid for on the provincial level.


"While constitutionally the province retains full responsibility for the mental health services for Ontario children... the federal government has a moral obligation to support its troops," said Marin.


He said if the federal government does not step up it could have an effect on the morale of troops on the front line.


To their credit, said Marin, National Defence has approved a one-time funding allotment of $100,000 to CFB Petawawa's Military Family Resource Centre to help contract services in conjunction with the Phoenix Centre.


With a report from CTV's Roger Smith in Ottawa

 

[Daidalous]

I remember feeling the same way when my father used to deploy when I was young.  I am very glad that DND forked up $100,000 for Pet,  but what about Edmonton, or Gagetown....etc.....

 

[niner domestic]

According to yesterday's report on the CBC, all of those bases/cities were examined for services and found to be adequate in the surrounding areas. 

 

[geo]

While I find it admirable that the Ontario Gov't has found a way to resolve the "problem" to everyone's satisfaction, I would have thought that the $$$ that all Ontario based servicemen pay to Ontario every year would have amounted to enough consideration for them to have done something without having had to get the Ombudsman involved.

Personnel in the other provinces don't have to cough up the cash each year - would have thought the taxed amount woulda been enough to get action

 

[Armymedic]

I remember feeling the same way when my father used to deploy when I was young.  I am very glad that DND forked up $100,000 for Pet,  but what about Edmonton, or Gagetown....etc.....

As geo pointed out, Ont based soldiers pay a health service premium as part of our provincial taxes. So it is not like our families are freeloading on the provincial system. This is what is so maddening about this controversy.

Also as opposed to Gagetown, Valcartier and Edmonton, all which have a large civilian population nearby, Petawawa has only the Pheniox center and the small amount of services it has there, which not only serve the base, but also that whole Ottawa Valley area.

That accenduates the problem.

 

[Blackadder1916]

While this issue garnered much recent publicity, it is not a new problem, though it now strikes closer to home for many on this forum because a local shortfall in child mental health services was directly exacerbated by an increased demand by military families from Petawawa.  But, as a poster (on other thread) pointed out, the average wait time for these services across the province (Ont) is 4 months and that may be just to get an evaluation to determine what is the problem.  I can’t speak about the current specifics of Ontario’s system (it has been some years since I lived there) but this is an issue that affects more than Ontario and more than family members of serving soldiers.

Just how important is this issue.  The second leading cause of death (after accidents) for children is suicide.  Some figures place the number of children with mental health issues at 10 to 20 percent; included are such illnesses as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bi-polar and conduct disorders, with many going undiagnosed and untreated due to lack of resources. For example, depression is highly treatable, but the rate of detection among adolescents is a tragically low 7 to 20 per cent due to a lack of services.

Due to public pressure there was a response of additional funding for the Phoenix Centre in Renfrew.  That is all well and good, but what about the other areas that are not yet a “squeaky wheel”.  If we only restrict the comparison to those locales that are similar (with regards military families) to Petawawa, we may find that the Ottawa Valley was equally or better served.  While one might assume that larger population centres such as Edmonton, Quebec City or Fredericton have a reasonable infrastructure in place that can be accessed, it is more likely that they are already at capacity.  But what about Brandon (Shilo) etc., and how available are civilian services for the families of soldiers who come from places that do not have a significant military presence such as the many reservists who have deployed overseas.

 

[MonicaB]

As a mother of 3 whose husband is currently deployed, I have mixed feelings on this report.  While I applaud the government's decision to increase funding, I question that this funding is being provided solely to the Phoenix centre.  The Phoenix Centre is not the only option available for counselling here in Renfrew county.  As military families, we are very fortunate to have what I believe to be great health care insurance through Sunlife (certainly far better than most of the coverage our "civilian" friends have).  I would have rather seen an increase in the amount of money per family that we can claim for counselling services, instead of all of the funding going to the Phoenix Centre.  But more importantly, I think the funding should be put into the Children's Deployment Pilot Program that is currently in place in the local area schools.  All 3 of my children attend this program, and have found it extremely beneficial.  I think this could be a very effective tool to help prevent a lot of the problems that lead to these children needing more specific counselling. 

 

[ladybugmabj]

My husband returned from Astan in March 07, having gone through one of the worst tours of his career. He lost 6 company mates, as well as a well respected RSM, and two other co-workers. Not to be forgotten, the other fallen from 03-6. My sons both went through the deployment program on base and seemed okay.(the Deployment program was only for the base schools...I am not sure if it's been expanded into the village schools yet) Things have gotten worse at school since dad came home for our oldest. Moody, irritable, etc ..
I thank the government for the increased funding to the Phoenix Centre in Pembroke, which will enable us to use their service vice having to drive to Ottawa to see a social worker  at $100/visit (which was usually 1 hour). Even then, I am still spending money on gasoline, food, parking, etc. Those costs add up when gas is $106.9.  I was able to get into the Phoenix Centre in just over a month and a half..considerably less than the 4mth wait.
Not only will the Phoenix Centre help our son, but the will also help his brother and his parents...something I wouldn't get in our trips to Ottawa.
Yes, there are other options in Renfrew county, but for now, I will very willingly accept their help to get over this hurdle in our sons' growth.

 

[Love793]

I remember feeling the same way when my father used to deploy when I was young.  I am very glad that DND forked up $100,000 for Pet,  but what about Edmonton, or Gagetown....etc.....

... or school boards within cities that house reserve units?

 

[cplwife]

While I understand that there is a problem in Pet, the other bases far from major cities have a similar problem!  Shilo seems to be forgotten in this topic and it doesn't have a center to take children to.  We have had to take our daughter 2 hours to Winnipeg to see someone regarding her problems stemming from my husband's tour to A.  No one reimbursed us for the trip but we're not complaining, it's just something we had to do.

 

[Roy Harding]

I sent an email to the Premier of Ontario regarding this issue.

Much to my surprise, I received a letter in reply.  Contents of the letter (from the Minister of  Children and Youth Services) follow:

Dear Mr. Harding:

Thank you for your letter regarding funding for children's mental health services, which was
forwarded to me by Premier Dalton McGuinty.

The healthy development of children and youth is a priority for my government. We are aware
that there has been a spike in demand for children's mental health services as a direct result of
Canada's mission in Afghanistan. As a result, pressure is put on agencies like the Phoenix
Centre and similar agencies across Canada that serve the children and families of our troops.

This government is committed to providing improved access to children's mental health
services, reducing wait times and integrating services so that children and youth experience
positive outcomes and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Children of Canadian
Forces troops have access to the same mental health services as all other children in Ontario,
and both levels of government have responded to provide the Phoenix Centre with the
resources it needs to continue to provide mental health services to children and youth.

Since 2003-04, we have-increased spending on children's mental health services by nearly-
$80 million. This investment has led to the creation and expansion of programs and has provided a
base funding increase to help agencies recruit and retain staff. In 2006-07, my ministry provided
$2.44 million for the provision of children's mental health services in the Renfrew area. Of this
amount, the Phoenix Centre received $1.77 million.

In 2007-08, we are building on our commitments by providing $24.5 million in new funding to
address gaps in local services and further reduce wait times. This funding includes a five per
cent increase totalling $18 million in base funding for child and youth mental health agencies,
and $2 million to enable agencies to provide immediate children's mental health support to
communities facing crises or extraordinary circumstances. In 2007-D8, the Phoenix Centre will
receive a base budget increase of $88,580 and an additional $130,000 to address the
extraordinary pressures they are currently experiencing. I understand that the federal
government has also provided $100,000 in additional funding to help children served by the
Phoenix Centre.

We realize that we need to continue to think more creatively and systemically to make the most
of the resources we have. Our new policy framework, A Shared Responsibility: Ontario's Policy
Framework for Child and Youth Mental Health, is designed to foster collaboration among
everyone who shares responsibility for the healthy development of Ontario's children and youth,
including families and caregivers, communities, service providers, government and all child- and
youth-serving sectors.

In 2006-07, we provided $26 million to create or expand more than 200 programs across the
province to help communities respond to existing and emerging local needs. As part of the
$24.5 million in new funding announced for 2007-08, we are providing communities with an
additional $4.5 million to address local needs. My ministry's Eastern Regional Office will be
allocating $357,600 on an annualized basis to address community priorities in a manner that is
aligned with the directions of the policy framework.

My ministry will continue to work with agencies and others in the sector to create a more
effective, sustainable child and youth mental health system and we will continue to support the
Phoenix Centre to meet the needs of families during this challenging time.

Once again, thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

//signed//

Mary Anne Chambers
Minister

c: Premier Dalton McGuinty

Just thought y'all may be interested in the viewpoint of the Government of Ontario.


Roy