REGINA — The Government of Canada has announced funding designed to address post traumatic stress disorder in frontline and essential workers.
Carolyn Bennett, minister of Mental Health and Addictions and associate minister of Health, made the announcement of $28.2 million towards nine projects addressing PTSD and trauma in frontline and essential workers, as well as others whose mental health was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement coincided with PTSD Awareness Day.
Five of the nine projects being funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada are out of the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment at the University of Regina :
- They are receiving $2,843,107 in funding to facilitate a knowledge development and exchange hub, the Canadian Institutes for Pandemic Health Education and Response (CIPHER), in partnership with several existing hubs, which will connect the projects funded through this investment and support evaluation while mobilizing knowledge to broader affected communities and service providers.
- They receive $2,072,233 in funding to work with the Families Matter Research Group (Queen's University) and the Child Trauma Research Centre (University of Regina) to create PSPNET Families, a virtual well-being hub for the families of public safety personnel.
- They receive $9,015,949 in funding to evaluate the Before Operational Stress program (BOS) originally sponsored by Wounded Warriors Canada.
- $3,713,778 in funding goes to implement, scale-up and test the OnCall and OnCall Support apps to facilitate peer support to up to 30,000 public safety personnel (PSP) for public safety communicators, paramedics, correctional workers and firefighters.
- $2,139,765 in funding will expand access to enhanced training for frontline public safety personnel (PSP). This includes, but is not limited to, the Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR), which was designed by the Canadian Department of National Defense to reduce stigma, reduce barriers to care seeking, improve short-term performance and support long-term mental health.
For the five projects the overall amount is $20 million making it the largest one-time funding contribution in the university's history.
According to the government, the nine projects “will help to deliver and test interventions, develop resources for affected or at-risk populations and create resources and guidance for service providers and organizations. The projects will reach frontline and essential workers including health care providers, public safety personnel and their families, personal support workers and long-term care workers.”
Statistics Canada reports that during the latter part of 2020, the prevalence of screening positive for PTSD was higher among frontline workers (10 per cent) than other Canadians (five per cent).
“This federal government investment is supporting our researchers’ efforts to design, deliver and evaluate diverse and much-needed mental-health support to Canada’s public safety personnel, front line health-care workers, as well as their leadership and families,” said Dr. R. Nicholas Carleton, University of Regina professor of clinical psychology and scientific director for the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment, in a statement.
“These Canadians have always supported our health and safety, and they made even more extraordinary sacrifices during the pandemic. Now, through training and treatment, we are working to provide them with the support they need.”
The federal government adds the investment also will facilitate a Knowledge Development and Exchange Hub to use data from these projects to inform mental health interventions and enhance Canadian public health policy and practice.
“The university is a leader in innovative, mental health research and support in Canada and the funding we have received from the Public Health Agency of Canada will allow us to expand on our work in this critically important area,” said University of Regina President Dr. Jeff Keshen in a statement. “Public safety and frontline personnel provide vital, life-saving services to Canadians across the country, and we are pleased to support them, and their families, through our research and programs addressing their mental health and well-being.”
Dr. Nathalie Reid leads the Child Trauma Research Centre (CTRC) at the University of Regina and is one of the co-leads of the project targeted toward helping families of public safety personnel.
“Our Ecosystem of Prevention Resources and Supports project will support the mental well-being of family members,” said Dr. Nathalie Reid in a news release. Reid leads the Child Trauma Research Centre (CTRC) at the University of Regina and is one of the co-leads of the project targeted toward helping families of public safety personnel.
“Providing at-risk family members with mental health resources and supports is critical for addressing their needs and also supports the mental well-being of the associated public safety personnel.”
