P.E.I., Ottawa sign $20M home care and mental health agreement

P.E.I. and the federal government announced a new agreement Friday regarding how the province will participate in a program to improve home and community care as well as mental health services.

The agreement will provide $20 million in federal funding over five years. The agreement covers the first five years of a $45 million, 10-year federal health funding commitment.

Federal Health Minister, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, signed the bilateral agreement with Premiere Wade MacLauchlanand P.E.I. Heath Minister, Robert Mitchell.

"These are issues that touch all of us," the ministersaid. "This funding will help improve countless families with much needed additional support."

Home care and mental health priorities

The province outlined five projects for the funding.

• An expansion of existing student well-being teams.
• The establishment of a mobile mental health crisis response program.
• Expanding a home care program provided by paramedics.
• New information technology infrastructure for home care.
• A new standardized client assessment tool for individuals seeking home or long term care.

Mitchell said the provincial governmentwill focus the first year of fundingon its mobile integrated health program by investing $750,000 to the program to bridge gaps within the home care system.

"This will just aid and enhance what goes onin home care," Mitchell said. "Today's announcement will have positive impacts on many, many Islanders lives right from children to our youth to our senior population."

"Moving forward we willhave further discussions on how the final five years can look and build collaborative relationships with the minister," he added.

MacLauchlanadded that the first year of funds will also support the province's two student well-beingschool support teamsand expandthe program to include a total of nine support teams across the Island over the next threeyears.

The agreement is part of a commitment from the federal government to spend $11 billion nationally over the next 10 years on new programs in home care and mental health services.

Ottawa is promising to sign a second five-year agreement for $25 million with P.E.I. in 2021.

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