News
Letter to the editor of the Chronicle Herald
Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the victims and their families in the recent Tucson
shootings. At the same time, we also want to express our sincere disappointment with
Bogdan Kipling’s column on January 13 about this terrible event. On the one hand, he
accuses the Washington press corps of jumping to conclusions without checking the facts about what led to this horrible tragedy.
The “Report of the Fatality Inquiry into the Death of Howard Hyde” has been released.
This report highlights many of the issues that surround the mental health system in Nova Scotia starting with recommendation #1. “The Province should develop a provincial mental health strategy that ensures coordination of care, integration of services and supports, and monitors quality and outcomes in relation to mental health generally and mental health in the context of the criminal justice system. The Strategy should be informed by “best practices” and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
Nova Scotia Department of Health appoints members to Nova Scotia’s Mental Health Strategy Advisory Committee
People struggling with mental health and addiction issues are another step closer to getting the care they need in every region of the province.
Health experts, researchers, mental health clinicians and people living with or affected by mental illness are among the 12 members appointed, Sept. 29, to Nova Scotia’s Mental Health Strategy Advisory Committee.
Important Step Forward for Provincial Mental Health Strategy
The Mental Health Coalition of Nova Scotia welcomes today’s news about the Oversight Committee to guide the development of a provincial mental health strategy. The Minister of Health announced the names of all the Committee members.
Auditor General’s Report
There is inadequate oversight of the mental health system and no effective monitoring of compliance with mental health standards by the Department of Health. The Department is not fulfilling its legislative requirements under the Health Authorities Act to monitor and evaluate the quality of mental health services.
2003 Mental Health Standards
This set of system-level standards for mental health services in Nova Scotia has been
drafted by the Core Programs Standards Working Group of the Mental Health Steering
Committee. Numerous system stakeholders were involved in reaching consensus on
standards based on the best available information regarding effectiveness and/or best
practice, balanced by the perspective of consumers, expert practitioners and educators.
This process is not yet complete. Input will continue to be sought and revisions will be
ongoing.