Trudeau announces virtual care and mental health tools for Canadians
by CM Staff
An investment of $240.5 million will help develop, expand, and launch virtual care and mental health tools for Canadians amid COVID-19
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on May 3 an investment of $240.5 million to develop, expand, and launch virtual care and mental health tools to support Canadians amid COVID-19.
“While we all do our part to fight COVID-19, it can be a challenge to deal with everything that’s happening around us and to get the help and services we need to feel well,” said Trudeau in a prepared statement. “It’s important that we take care of ourselves and our families during these challenging times, and that’s why we’ve introduced more virtual health resources and mental health tools to further support Canadians through this crisis.”
According to the statement, the investment will be used to create digital platforms and applications, improve access to virtual mental health supports, and expand capacity to deliver health care virtually, including projects to reach vulnerable Canadians.
The investment will:
- help Canadians engage with their regular health providers and specialist health services through telephone, text, or video-conferencing;
- support access to mental health supports and reliable health information in a safe and secure manner;
- help governments, public health officials, hospitals, and health care facilities make evidence-based decisions; and
- support federal, provincial, and territorial initiatives in collaboration with innovators, health stakeholders, and organizations to expand virtual health services to Canadians.
