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Local kids facing long wait for mental health services
Wednesday July 23 2008 By Stephanie Hounsell, Special to the IFP One in five Ontario children struggles with a diagnosable disorder— emotional, mental or behavioural.
And in Halton, getting help isn’t easy due to a long wait list— in some cases up to a year— for services. Many local kids and teens remain undiagnosed and untreated.
This dire situation regarding children’s mental health was presented to Halton Region’s health and social services committee last week by Ron Rodgers, executive director of the Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK).
“The need for child psychiatry in Halton outweighs the capacity to meet it,” Rodgers said, explaining fewer than 25 per cent of kids with mental health disorders are treated.
ROCK is a non-profit children’s mental health centre in Halton for kids and teens up to 18 years old. It deals with emotional, behavioural, developmental, learning and social difficulties at locations in Oakville, Burlington and Milton.
But it’s flooded by the demand for services and doesn’t have nearly the funding it needs, Rodgers said.
ROCK— which receives funding from the Ontario Ministry of Child and Youth Services, the United Way and Halton Region— needs $1 million to upgrade salaries and an annualized cost of living increase, Rodgers said.
Wait times range from three months for ROCK’s community outreach program to a year for its psychology services, occupational therapy and behaviour management program.
The long waits before ROCK can provide diagnoses means a longer wait for ensuing specialized services, since a diagnosis is required first, Rodgers said.
In addition to the issue of wait lists, some parents of children with mental health problems and struggling teens don’t reach out because of the stigma that’s still associated with mental illness, Rodgers said.
“They’re the quiet majority who don’t come to our door,” he said.
Milton Councillor Colin Best said he agreed with the substantial need that exists.
“These waiting lists are ridiculous,” he said.
Rodgers said he supports bringing an additional child psychiatrist to north Halton. This option had been presented in a staff report to committee.
The committee— and regional council at its meeting Wednesday— endorsed a motion for the Region to provide interim funding for the last quarter of 2008 to bring the services of a child and adolescent psychiatrist, providing the doctor is still available, to north Halton two days per week, starting later this year.
In response to Rodgers’ presentation, Oakville Councillor Fred Oliver made a motion to have staff report back on the creation of a task force to deal with youth mental health issues.
 “We need to have enough guts to get up and do something,” Oliver said.
The motion was endorsed by the committee and council.

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