The provincial government is increasing mental health support for Ontarians in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The government announced Thursday that it's providing emergency funding of up to $12 million to immediately expand online and virtual mental health supports.
Premier Doug Ford said dealing with an evolving crisis like COVID-19 puts a lot of stress on everyone.
"Today, we're investing $12 million to expand online virtual mental health supports for you and your family. We've partnered with incredible organizations, like Kids Help [Phone] and BounceBack, to provide you with the support you need now," said Ford.
Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Michael Tibollo said the government continues to work with partners in the mental health and addictions sector to fund more innovative services, such as internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy.
"These services are going to help the many Ontarians that are experiencing anxiety, stress or other mental challenges by increasing access to online and virtual supports during these unprecedented times. Just as importantly, it will provide alternatives for Ontarians who can't access their regular in-person counselling supports because they're respecting the direction to remain at home to stop the spread of COVID-19," said Tibollo. "This funding is going to help people across the province get the support they need by ensuring mental health agencies have the necessary resources to hire and train more staff, purchase necessary equipment, the most appropriate technology and additional licenses."
The government also announced another $2.6 million in funding to hire new psychologists and other mental health workers to support Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) personnel.
Premier Ford said it will provide OPP with the mental health supports they need to deal with the challenges inherent to their jobs.
"We also know the mental and physical strain that our front-line workers and our first responders are facing," said Ford. "They're working long hours, they see tragedy every single day, they're making really, really tough decisions. So we're providing dedicated therapy to help them through this challenge."
For more information on mental health supports in Ontario and on the government's announcement Thursday, click here.