Health and Community Services
May 8, 2014

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Health and Community Services:

Understanding Changes Everything Campaign Focuses on Reducing Stigma

Mr. Speaker, May 5 to May 11 is Mental Health Week and earlier this week I had the privilege of launching the Understanding Changes Everything campaign.

This campaign focuses on challenging, and ultimately changing the way people think and act toward individuals with a mental illness or addiction.

Mr. Speaker, stigma and discrimination are some of the greatest challenges faced by those living with a mental illness or addiction. In fact, we have even heard that the stigmas associated with these conditions can often be as debilitating as the conditions themselves.

In year one of the three-year campaign, people throughout the province will see television commercials, online and cinema advertising and promotion of the campaign through social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Through our campaign, which we have developed in collaboration with local stakeholders, our ultimate goal is to inform, educate and act as a conduit for people to get help. We want to change the way many people think about mental illness and addiction and bring awareness to the fact that one in five of us will experience a mental illness or addiction in any given year.

Mr. Speaker, our government has placed significant focus on mental health and addictions and has made it a priority. We invest approximately $100 million annually to provide important programs and services throughout the four regional health authorities.

I encourage residents, and my colleagues in the House of Assembly, to become better informed on this important issue and to visit understandnow.ca for more information.

Thank you.

2014 05 08         2:00 p.m.