9 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,S eptem ber 9,2021 insidehalton.com www.shoppersdrugmart.ca 2501 Third Line905-465-3000 478 Dundas Street West905-257-9737NOW OPEN24 HRS EVERY DAY • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care• Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery• Free Nutrition Counselling • Vaccinations• Cholesterol, A1C, AFib and DNA Screening lw ys Here toelp You! DE RANGO PHARMACY INC. w 2501 T905-465-3000 • P• H • C AlwaHelp Pharmacist -Fabio De Rango Drug Store/Pharmacy Tutorial & Enrichment Programs Customized Tutoring : • Grades Jk - 12+ • Math • English • Physics • Chemistry • Essay Writing & Exam Prep • Super Readers Program 3yrs + Unlock Academic Potential Academy for Mathematics & English Free Skill Level Assessment CALL NOW 905-847-2809 www.tutoringacademy.ca IN-CENTRE & VIRTUAL LESSONS! Fall Registration on NOW AWARD NOMINEE 2021 1500 Upper Middle Rd. West (Oakville) 905-847-2809 Oakville 905-319-1778 Burlington 3410 Mainway Drive (inside ActivityPlex) Metroland's Halton newspapers reached out to members of their Halton Ad- visory Council to share their views on local issues in con- junction with the federal election. Here's the final part of a three-part series. Since 2020, our lives have been consumed by CO- VID-19. The pressing question for mental health provid- ers is this: Has each person experienced the pandemic in precisely the same way? In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to personal pandemics that are unique to us all. As we plan for the next wave of mental health needs, it won't be sufficient for us to simply accept the de facto system. Too much has changed. Our future direction be- gins with creating robust access to innovative pro- grams, inviting trust from disenfranchised communi- ties and funding the system to build capacity and meet demands. Even prior to the pan- demic, mental health ser- vices were backlogged -- with over 1.6 million Cana- dians having unmet needs, in a system that at best served only one in five Ca- nadians with a mental ill- ness, or mental health is- sue. As mental health spe- cialists, we recognized ear- ly the pandemic was a soci- etal stress test bringing un- charted pressures to our community. At Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Halton, we've wit- nessed how chronic uncer- tainty has challenged peo- ple to the point of serious mental health breakdowns, and overwhelmed families having to stitch together a 'system' of care for youth with complex needs. Health providers did well in the opening phase of the pandemic when the lock- down set in. This created a shift in access to virtual care and an unrivalled innova- tion in virtual services. Technology has allowed us to expand access, develop our menu of service and reach people who were pre- viously tied down by stigma. Where we have not done as well has been with our Black, Caribbean, Indige- nous and Métis people, peo- ple of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ in- dividuals and other minor- ity populations. This year we've learned we cannot create access to services without questioning if we have trust in our institu- tions. As we build forward, we need to embrace a signifi- cant shift, including co-de- signing a new system through dialogue with those we hope to serve, and investing directly in organi- zations that represent spe- cific communities. Mental health providers have met the stress and tur- moil of the pandemic by piv- oting to meet new challeng- es, but it is still not suffi- cient. There's much oppor- tunity here for federal leadership and our local candidates to champion im- proved care. Direct federal invest- ment can increase our ca- pacity as a community to offer required mental health and addiction ser- vices. Community-based men- tal health providers are committed to promoting mental health and wellness design that builds bridges for equitable access, ex- pands the continuum of ser- vices, and advances recon- ciliation throughout Hal- ton. I welcome our local can- didates to reach out for a more in-depth conversa- tion. The possibility of a working mental health care system, with optimized best-in-class approaches, will allow us to emerge from our personal pandem- ics both resilient and strong. Rashaad Vahed is the CEO of CMHA Halton Region. He can be reached at rvahed@cmhahrb.ca. MORE WORK NEEDED TO SAFEGUARD MENTAL HEALTH OPINION FEDERAL LEADERSHIP VITAL IN THIS PURSUIT, WRITES RASHAAD VAHED RASHAAD VAHED Column SCAN THESE CODES FOR THE FIRST 2 INSTALLMENTS IN THIS ELECTION COLUMN SERIES, FOCUSING ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND INCLUSION. "As we plan for the next wave of mental health needs, it won't be sufficient for us to simply accept the de facto system. Too much has changed." insidehalton.com/vote2021