CORNWALL, Ontario – The Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH) was awarded $20,000 from the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund to support infant and toddler mental health in the community.
“The Bell Let’s Talk grant will be used to provide CCH mental health and addiction staff training in the area of perinatal postpartum depression, as well as promote awareness of services that are available to caregivers,” said Deena Shorkey, Director, Child and Youth Mental Health Services at CCH’s Community Addition and Mental Health Centre. “The ultimate goal is to ensure that both caregivers and professionals have access to the right services at the right time. We would like to increase awareness of the importance of attachment issues within the first year of life through the development of a collaborative approach across services such as primary care, mental health, addictions, child welfare and the health unit as an example.”
The goal of this project is to promote independence, self-image, empathy and better relationships in toddlers which they can carry throughout their lives.
“Bell Let’s Talk is pleased to support Cornwall Community Hospital’s Child and Youth Mental Health Services to improve mental health care for young children in Cornwall,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “Having doubled the annual Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund to $2 million in 2018, we are supporting some 120 organizations in communities across Canada, like Cornwall Community Hospital, that are making a difference for those affected by mental health issues.”
The Community Addiction and Mental Health Centre at the hospital will be having an open house on Bell Let’s Talk Day, which is Jan. 30. The event will include a photo booth, games and prizes.
