Clinic to Open in Kelowna for Canadian Soldiers' Mental Health

Members of the BC Dragoons during a training exercise. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow)

The federal government announced Sunday that they were going to make a significant investment into mental health support for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), veterans, and military families.

The announcement was made by Minister of Veterans Affairs Julian Fantino and Minister of National Defence Rob Nicholson. The government will be creating a major Operational Stress Injury clinic in Halifax as well as various satellite clinics. One of the seven satellite clinics will be in Kelowna, speeding local veterans' access to mental health services.

Some of Kelowna's veterans proudly walking in the Remembrance Day parade. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow)

The government says that the initiatives are an approximately $200 million investment. The clinic in Halifax will be helping veterans and their families with operational stress injuries to have assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Additionally, an educational campaign called the Road to Mental Readiness will be expanded, helping those in the CAF to increase their resilience to mental illness and injury, be aware of treatments, and reduce the stigma of mental health disorders.

Member health records are going to be digitized, and the CAF will get access to brain-imaging technology to help Canada's understanding of mental illness and improve treatment. There will also be more social support for members and families and an expanded access to the Military Family Resource Centres. The initiatives will also include research for better treatment and outcomes for veterans, as well as research to understand veteran suicides to help prevent suicide and support veterans.

A member of the BC Dragoons on a day of training. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow)

"Our Government honours the service and sacrifice of our Veterans and our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces, and we are committed to ensuring that they have access to the mental health support and services they need when they need it,” said Fantino. “The new initiatives announced today reflect the most innovative thinking and evidenced-based approaches to mental health and suicide prevention, leading to world class care and treatment for mental health illness and injury."

This investment comes after a Statistics Canada survey found that about one in six full-time members of the Canadian Forces reported they had experienced symptoms of selected mental or alcohol disorders in the last 12 months.