May 4, 2023 | Ottawa, ON | Health Canada
During pregnancy and after giving birth, many women experience significant mental health challenges such as depression, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts. These perinatal mental health issues can adversely affect not only the mother and child, but can also have a long-lasting negative impact on families. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting maternal mental health, and creating a future free of stigma around perinatal mental illness.
Today, on World Maternal Mental Health Day and during Mental Health Week in Canada, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced close to $857,000 in funding to three organizations for their projects in support of maternal mental health. This announcement was made during the 2nd annual Flora's Walk, the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative's Fundraiser walk named after Flora Babakhani, a Canadian mother who lost her life to undetected and untreated postpartum psychosis.
Health Canada will provide $372,000 to the Women's College Hospital to develop national clinician guidelines for perinatal mood disorders. This supports the Government of Canada's commitment to develop mental health standards and to ensure timely access to perinatal mental health services. The guidelines will help individuals, families, and caregivers better understand what to ask for in their care; assist health care professionals in expanding their knowledge of what perinatal care should be offered; and help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve their performance.
Additionally, The Public Health Agency of Canada will provide $279,000 to the Canadian Mothercraft Society to promote secure attachment between mothers and their children; and $206,000K to the Families Matter Society of Calgary to lead projects aimed at promoting positive mental health by increasing access to support services for Black parents struggling with perinatal mood disorders.
Today's announcement builds on the Government of Canada's investments in Budget 2023, including our plan to invest nearly $200 Billion over 10 years to improve health care services for Canadians, reduce surgical backlogs, support health workers, and improve integrated mental health and substance use services. We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that mental health care, including perinatal mental health care, is treated as a full and equal part of our health care system.
