Some Windsor communities aren't seeking mental health help. There's a plan to change that
CBC
A pair of social workers are starting a new program to connect people who historically face barriers in accessing mental health services with local care in Windsor-Essex.
The launch comes after staff at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) and Maryvale Adolescent and Family Services noticed their clients weren't reflective of their community.
"We aren't seeing the immigrant population that we know exists within Windsor-Essex. There's an underrepresentation of racialized youth," said Terra Cadeau, executive lead of children and mental health at HDGH.
"We needed to start to think about how we could deliver care differently."
Few studies have looked at access to mental health services for immigrants in Canada, according to a recent report from Statistics Canada.
The research showed that "immigrants were consistently less likely to report mental health consultations compared with their Canadian-born counterparts."
That report suggests "that more support and services are needed for the immigrant subgroups," which is part of what both HDGH and Maryvale are hoping to achieve.