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More culturally appropriate, accessible mental health care

In March 2024, GreenShield Cares announced a $200,000 gift to the Centre for Psychological Health. The funding will support clinic staff and student training that enhances their ability to work with diverse clients, including refugees, newcomers to Canada, and members of Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities. This will help enhance care accessibility and delivery, which will contribute to stronger, healthier communities.

“We’re proud to support H����’s Centre for Psychological Health to enable the customization and expansion of programs and services for equity-seeking communities,” says Girard.

H���� President Dr. Kim Brooks says GreenShield’s donation will help the clinic keep pace with evolving mental health needs through the services and support they offer. “The communities that H���� serves through our clinics are increasingly diverse and we want to ensure the care we provide is appropriate and accessible,” Dr. Brooks says. “We’re excited that GreenShield shares our vision and is supporting us in achieving our goal.”

Located in the Fenwick Medical Centre in Halifax’s south end, the H���� Centre for Psychological Health offers mental health care and addictions services to underserved populations of all ages. It is specifically focused on serving low-income clients and disadvantaged communities and groups, including those who identify as Indigenous, African Nova Scotian, or 2SLGBTQ+; children in care or who were previously in care; and newcomers.

“GreenShield’s gift will allow the Centre to continue to grow and build on its early success,” says Dr. Chuck Macdonald, dean of science. “The impact of this generosity will be felt at Dal, in the local community, and beyond.”

The impact of GreenShield’s generosity, and the training it will support, will be particularly significant for students from the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience’s clinical psychology program. They deliver the centre’s services under the supervision of registered clinical psychologists. Dr. Shannon Johnson, a co-director of the Centre, says this provides opportunities for the students to work with underserved populations during their practicum placements—opportunities that have traditionally been limited.

“Our students are eager to support diverse clients and build their knowledge of and experience with people from a range of backgrounds and identities,” says Dr. Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and director of clinical training for the clinical psychology PhD program.

“Thanks to the generous support of GreenShield, we are now able to provide our students with a wealth of new clinical training opportunities as they proceed on the path to becoming clinical psychologists. And we are able to deliver more accessible mental health care to Nova Scotians in need.”

Patrick Hickey, a second-year clinical psychology PhD student, says he is happy he did not have to leave the province to gain this kind of experience. More importantly, he says, “I can already see the impact we are having for our clients by making psychological support more accessible, comprehensive, and timely. This will be of great benefit for them, but also for me and my fellow students as we prepare to become practising clinical psychologists.”

Filling gaps in dental care

GreenShield has also supported H����’s efforts to make oral care more accessible for Nova Scotians. In May 2023, GreenShield contributed $500,000 to H����’s Faculty of Dentistry to provide more care services to those who need them most in the Halifax area.

“Outreach is central to H����’s role as a teaching institution and its commitment to being a civic university," says Dr. Ben Davis dean of the Faculty of Dentistry. “It’s great to work with an organization like GreenShield, which understands how vital oral health is to overall health and is striving – like us – to fill this gap in the Canadian health-care system.”

To recognize GreenShield’s commitment to improving access to care at H����, a mural will be installed in the dental clinic to promote oral heal and enhance the clinic’s environment.

GreenShield also participated in a private screening of Me and My Teeth, a short film by Anna Quon (BA’89) that highlights the parallels between mental and dental health.

Gaining strength

With the gifts from GreenShield in place, the faculties of science and dentistry are making progress in their goal to deliver more accessible care. Dentistry is using the funding to cover the costs of more treatments for priority populations in several of their outreach clinics. This care is provided in partnership with community partners such as  and Nelson Whynder Elementary School in North Preston. The H���� Centre for Psychological Health also partners with community organizations to identify people who are most in need of its services.

“We’ve seen the positive impact that community clinics like these can have through Dal’s legal aid, dentistry, and social work clinics,” Dr. Johnson says. “This clinic is going to build on that. Every gift we receive and every relationship we forge with community organizations is strengthening our ability to reach and support all Nova Scotians who need mental health care. And that will mean stronger, healthier communities.”