Mental Health Services at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (Soldiers’) will be putting their $20,000 grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund towards training and education for hospital staff. Delayed due to Covid-19 emergency needs, the 2020 Community Fund grant is now being put into action assisting Soldiers’ staff in providing mental health supports and services to residents in Orillia and those living in surrounding communities.
“This generous funding from our partners at Bell is being used to train our Community Mental Health clinicians in specialized trauma treatment modalities,” says Brandon Lewicki, Program Manager, Mental Health Services at Soldiers’. “Our goal for the Mental Health Services program at Soldiers’ is to increase the accessibility of trauma related treatments for our clients in Orillia and surrounding areas. There is a gap in service for those that require these treatments and who otherwise wouldn’t have the financial means to access them.”
Soldiers’ has already started implementing the gift from Bell to provide cognitive behavioural therapy accreditation and trauma and addictions training for the hospital’s social workers, as well as dual diagnosis training to all front line staff.
The need for accessible mental health services is essential and has proven to be even more so over the last two years. The grant from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund has provided a necessary opportunity to bring that accessibility to Orillia and the many surrounding communities that rely on these services from Soldiers’. In addition to the training and accreditation courses, remaining funds have be allocated for education and program awareness workshops within the community to increase the reach of services and support for mental health.
“We are very thankful to Bell Let’s Talk for all the support it’s provided through this grant, added Lewicki, “We look forward to future opportunities to partner with them again for the health of our community,”
“Bell Let’s Talk is pleased to support Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital’s training in evidence-based CBT, trauma and other mental health treatment programs for front line staff,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “The Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund provides grants to mental health organizations in communities like Orillia that are working to expand access to mental health care programs for more community members who need support and rely on services such as those in their local hospital setting.”
Today is Bell Let’s Talk Day
Today Bell donates an additional 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk, every Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video, and every use of the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat lens. All at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access.
Bell Let’s Talk promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
To make a donation towards the Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital Mental Health Services program, please visit SoldiersFoundation.ca.