WELLINGTON COUNTY – In a recent survey by CMHA Waterloo Wellington, Wellington County was deemed the least mentally healthy community.
At Thursday’s council meeting, county staff and CMHA Waterloo Wellington’s CEO both agreed there is much work to do.
While the data wasn’t considered a “deep dive,” CEO Helen Fishburn told council it gave a pulse reading of mental health within communities across the region.
“The time is now. “We can’t afford to wait,” Fishburn said when referencing the remedy to this mounting issue.
Fishburn said the Grove Wellness Hubs have been crucial even since the survey came out, with 109 youth visiting Wednesday in Palmerston alone for what she says is a wide variety of available help.
Fishburn fielded a long stream of questions from council. One message was clear. This is an issue the county must lean into to help those Fishburn says are barely making do.
The Here 24/7 service has seen 30 per cent more volume than before the pandemic, and Fishburn says she doesn’t expect that to change.
Fishburn says as of Thursday there were 4,000 people in Guelph Wellington County and Waterloo region waiting for ongoing care.
Workplaces were one area she identified to improve transparency.
