Manitoba recruiting 5 psychologists in attempt to tackle shortage, improve mental health care wait times

Manitoba is hoping to attract five psychologists to the health workforce that it hopes will help make a dent in long-standing wait-list issues for mental health care exacerbated by the pandemic.

Mental Health and Community Wellness Minister Sarah Guillemard said the province is committing about $850,000 for the recruitment and hiring of five positions after local experts called for more support.

"Psychologists working across the public and private sectors have been sounding the alarm as wait-lists become longer and longer, or they close altogether and Manitobans struggle to find appropriate care," Dr. Jo Ann Unger, president of the Manitoba Psychologists Society, said at a news conference Monday outside the Victoria General Hospital.

"This is a very good first step in addressing the psychologist shortage."

Two child psychologists will be assigned to help alleviate wait times for outpatient treatment for kids and youth, and to expand support for inpatient consultation services for Children's Hospital.

One of the adult positions will be assigned to women's health services to help people who can get pregnant who are dealing with mental health challenges, such as anxiety during pregnancy, postpartum depression and supports following a traumatic birth.

Another psychologist will work with adults through forensic services with the justice system to help address court proceeding delays.

A fifth psychologist will work with adult mental health in-patient services to help with diagnoses, treatment and facility discharge planning. 

"Provincial reviews have consistently identified the need to invest in Manitoba's psychology workforce to address chronic shortages in order to improve access to psychologists for diagnosis and advanced, targeted treatment," said clinical psychologist Andrea Piotrowski, assistant professor of clinical health psychology at the University of Manitoba.

"Providing better access to psychologists saves lives," added Piotrowski, who is also clinical psychology medical specialty lead for Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. "This new funding will further bolster this resource."

The province said the need to reduce barriers and add more psychologists was identified as a priority in its own five-year roadmap announced this year, A Pathway to Mental Health and Community Wellness: A Roadmap for Manitoba, and in the 2018 mental health-care system and addictions review known as the VIRGO report.

Asked by a reporter whether the five positions are enough to meet the growing needs, Guillemard said there will always be more work to do when it comes to improving health-care services, particularly in light of the pandemic's effects.

"A lot of times when you go through a collective trauma it can be seen for years afterwards.… We're still measuring that impact and I know that we're going to see an increased need for mental health services," she said.

Concerns Manitoba falling behind

The announcement comes as health-care advocates continue to raise concerns over Manitoba falling behind other provinces, as well as the ability to deliver services in a timely manner amid long-standing staffing shortages exacerbated by a rise in demand for supports during the pandemic.

"We know that stress related to the pandemic has increased mental health issues," said Guillemard. "This has created added pressures on an already-taxed mental health system."

Unger suggested Manitoba's psychology shortages predate the pandemic, pointing to the Peachy Report. Completed in 2017, it stated psychology services were critical but under-resourced as a profession in Manitoba, she said.

Unger also recently told CBC News the province needs to double its annual mental health budget to address serious access and resource issues to have a meaningful impact on issues in the system.

If people struggling with mental health issues don't get professional support, their symptoms for the most part worsen, she said.

"The wait-lists that people have in private and public right now are really quite astounding," Unger said in a story published May 24.

On Monday, she said Manitoba has been facing a "critical and chronic shortage of psychologists" and that Manitoba has the lowest rate of psychologists in the country: about 20 per 100,000 people compared to the national average of about 50 per 100,000.

"With so few of them in the publicly-funded system, many clinical teams have little to no access to psychologists," said Unger. 

"With the mental and physical health needs of Manitobans increasing due to the stressors of living through a global pandemic, the urgency to address this shortage has been further escalated. So, this announcement today is most welcomed."

New centre at Victoria Hospital

The Victoria Hospital Foundation and Manitoba Blue Cross also announced $1.78 million for two mental health initiatives on Monday to run out of the newly-unveiled Manitoba Blue Cross Mental Health Assessment Unit at the hospital.

The unit is a dedicated mental health therapeutic space in urgent care at the Victoria Hospital, said Nicole Chammartin, executive director of the foundation.

An associated green space will also be constructed on the grounds beginning this summer, she said.

Have a tip about mental health-care barriers in Manitoba? Email bryce.hoye@cbc.ca.