Houston government to cover therapy costs for patients with mood, anxiety disorders

Nova Scotia is set to launch the first phase of its groundbreaking universal mental health care program this spring. The province will cover therapy costs for individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, offering them access to therapy from master’s-level social workers, psychologists, and registered counseling therapists.

Brian Comer, the minister of mental health and addictions, announced the initiative, emphasizing that all Nova Scotians will soon be able to self-refer to the program for free mental health care and support, regardless of their location or the issues they are facing. This commitment to universal mental health care was made by the Progressive Conservatives, led by Premier Tim Houston, in August 2021, making Nova Scotia the first province in Canada to offer such a program.

The first phase of the program will see the recruitment of 50 clinicians, with plans to add another 200 within the next two years. The department estimates that they will triage and assess 125 individuals per month with mood and anxiety disorders. The goal is to eventually expand access to publicly funded care for patients with a variety of mental health needs, starting with mood and anxiety disorders as a targeted approach.

Francine Vezina, executive director of the Office of Addictions and Mental Health, explained that mood and anxiety disorders were chosen for the initial rollout due to their prevalence on the province’s non-urgent mental health waitlist. The program aims to alleviate some of the pressure on the health system and meet the increased demand for support in this area.

Despite the positive progress towards universal mental health care, NDP health critic Rod Wilson, a family physician, raised concerns about the rollout of the program. He questioned whether the government would be able to find enough clinicians to properly staff the program, especially with the goal of having 250 clinicians within two years. Wilson emphasized the need to move away from the fee-for-service model and instead increase mental health care capacity within the provincial health system by hiring mental health clinicians to work alongside doctors and nurses in collaborative care clinics or community health centers.

As Nova Scotia prepares to launch its universal mental health care program, there are both optimism and skepticism about the government’s ability to deliver on its promise. With mental health needs on the rise, the success of this initiative will be crucial in providing essential care to all Nova Scotians in need.