Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
A big investment by the provincial government is helping children in Saskatchewan access counselling.
The Ministry of Health announced $1.7 million in annual funding Friday, which will go to Family Services to expand its free, rapid-access counselling services for children and youths across Saskatchewan. The newest communities to launch the free counselling services are Carlyle, Estevan, Oxbow and Weyburn.
The ministry said the services include support for mental health issues, stress, depression, family conflict, domestic violence and addiction. The program will be administered by Envision Counselling Support Centre, the ministry said, and those who need additional or ongoing help will be accommodated and connected with the services they require.
Dustin Duncan, the MLA for Weyburn-Big Muddy, said having the ability to quickly connect children and youths with support services is crucial for improving the well-being of communities.
“Today’s expansion of rapid counselling services to children and youth is an important part of our commitment to address mental health issues in Saskatchewan,” Duncan said in a statement.
The rapid-access counselling program was launched in Regina and Saskatoon earlier this month, and is expected to expand to more communities over the coming weeks.
“The Ministry of Health is investing a record total of $518 million for mental health and addictions services in 2023-24,” the ministry noted.
