Media Release
Reform of Medicare Needs to
Include People who Experience Mental Illness and Addiction
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Recommends to Romanow Commission
Toronto (May 31, 2002): Appearing before the Commission
on the Future of Health Care in Canada, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health (CAMH) President and CEO Dr. Paul Garfinkel urged the Romanow Commission
to ensure that the future of health care include in its core, services
for people who experience mental illness and addiction.
"The reforms you are considering will have a strong impact on the
patients we serve - therefore, we urge you to include our clients in your
reform of medicare," Dr. Garfinkel said. CAMH is one of the few mental
health and addiction organizations presenting before the Commission.
Dr. Garfinkel provided the Commission a brief snapshot of the burden
of mental illness and addiction in Canada noting, for example, that 20%
percent of the general population experiences a mental illness in any
given year. One in 10 adults report problems with their drinking, affecting
their health and financial situations, and one in six deaths a year in
Canada, or 34,700, is caused by smoking.
The economic costs of mental health and addiction problems are also significant
ø more than $8 billion in lost productivity due to workers being on disability
or due to premature death in 1998 alone according to Health Canada. Substance
abuse cost the Canadian economy more than $18 billion in 1992.
While Dr. Garfinkel expressed strong support of the CommissionÕs mandate
and the direction the Commissioner is heading, he had nine recommendations
to improve CanadaÕs health care system and services for clients with mental
health and addiction problems. These were:
- Include mental health and addiction in the definition of health and
illness
- Take a broad view of the policy levers that will improve health øconsider
social support, housing, income, employment and self-help advocacy in
health reform initiatives
- Include health promotion in health reform efforts
- Expand public coverage under the Canada Health Act
- Speed up primary care reform and include mental health and substance
abuse
- Improve health human resource planning
- Forget about increased private financing ø Services to people with
addiction and mental illness are already vulnerable and private financing
would create an additional impediment for those needing care.
- Invest in research
- Put citizens at the centre of a reformed health care system
CAMH, a teaching hospital and research facility recognized as a Centre
of Excellence by the World Health Organization is located in Toronto and
is the largest mental health and addiction facility in Canada. CAMH runs
clinical programs, supports communities in health promotion and prevention
programs, works with government on policy development and resource allocation
and strives towards eliminating the stigma associated with mental illness
and addiction.
Dr. GarfinkelÕs remarks and the CAMH submission to the Commission on the
Future of Health Care are available at www.camh.net/press_releases/garfinkel_romanow_present.html
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