Ontario Expanding Mental Health Supports for Public Safety Personnel

The Ontario government is investing more than $32 million to ensure first responders and public safety personnel have access to mental health supports. The new Mental Health Supports for Public Safety Personnel program (MHS4PSP) will provide specialized services for police officers, firefighters, correctional workers, paramedics and others who support Ontario’s public safety system.

“First responders and public safety personnel have our backs every day and we will always have theirs,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “This new program will ensure Ontario’s selfless heroes, who put their lives on the line daily for us, receive targeted mental health supports that match the unimaginable challenges they face.”

The Mental Health Supports for Public Safety Personnel program builds off elements of Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness. The program will include:

• A web portal for public safety personnel to access core services, including internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy and peer-support tools
• Additional programs and services, such as access to a 24/7 call-line and other trauma-informed mental health services

Funds will also be dedicated to a grant for employers that will help subsidize the costs of these additional programs and services.

“Ontario is proud to be home to world-class frontline workers who go above and beyond every day to provide care and support to people and their families across the province,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This investment builds on our work through the Roadmap to Wellness to enhance access to mental health services and ensure that our first responders can connect to targeted and compassionate supports, where and when they need it most.”

The Mental Health Supports for Public Safety Personnel program will also support the creation of an Anti-Stigma Strategy designed to remove potentially harmful stigmas around asking for help. Based on the findings of the Staying visible, staying connected, for life report, the goal of the strategy is to help create work environments where people feel confident to seek mental health support. It will include:

• A website with mental health resources specific to public safety personnel
• A leadership support network
• Training to equip leaders with the skills and knowledge to support mental health in their organizations
• Recommended mental health practices for organizations

The program initiatives and the Anti-Stigma Strategy will roll out in phases. A call for applications, inviting organizations to apply for funding under the grant, will be rolled out in early 2025.

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