Is Canada’s Mental Healthcare System Failing Indigenous Peoples? | Mind Games

Is Canada’s mental healthcare system failing Indigenous Peoples? Concerns over Canada’s mental healthcare system for Indigenous people living in Canada sparked a two-year investigation conducted by TVO, the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) and the Toronto Star. TVO Investigates Mind Games examines alleged failings of mental health services provided to Indigenous and Inuit communities, including red tape, long wait times, and cultural insensitivity Through personal stories and expert interviews, TVO, the IJB, and Toronto Star journalists reveal gaps in Canada’s Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program for Indigenous Peoples. The journalists interviewed over 60 current and former clients, therapists, physicians, and Indigenous mental health advocates, many of whom described a “broken” system that, they claimed, sometimes does more harm than good. The investigation uncovered how barriers in the system impact those dealing with trauma and colonial history. The investigation revealed that fewer than a third of NIHB-approved mental health providers had experience working with First Nations and Inuit communities. Some providers were found to have troubling histories, including allegations of cultural insensitivity and sexual misconduct. TVO, the IJB and the Toronto Star reached out to Canadian federal officials overseeing the NIHB program. They denied that the system suffers from serious flaws. https://ijb.utoronto.ca/news/indigeno... Is Canada’s mental-health system failing Indigenous people? https://www.tvo.org/article/is-canada... Canada’s Indigenous mental health program is meant to be a lifeline. Instead, it’s so mired in red tape it seems ‘set up to deter people from accessing’ care https://www.thestar.com/news/investig... A murder conviction. Sex with an ex-client. Defending residential schools. Why a program for Indigenous patients uses therapists with troubling pasts. https://www.thestar.com/news/investig... Chiefs of Ontario deeply concerned about mental health providers enrolled in the Non-Insured Health Benefits program https://chiefs-of-ontario.org/chiefs-... Where does this leave Indigenous patients who rely on federally funded mental health care? 0:00 Introduction 1:04 A Preamble on the NIHB 1:32 Investigating The NIHB 3:10 Red Tape, Wait Times, And Cultural Insensitivity 4:07 Common Story of Cultural Sensitivity Issues 5:34 Digging Deep into NIHB's Therapists 5:50 Dr. Oren Amitay 6:36 Shocking Social Media Posts 7:12 "Fire Him" Trauma of Residential Schools 8:06 Amitay's Response 9:23 Closing the Amitay File 9:54 Are There Additional Issues With NIHB Therapists? 10:13 Response from Indigenous Services Canada 10:56 Delays in The System 11:09 Wait Times and Financial Issues 11:29 Dr. Leigh Sheldon's Pro-Bono Assistance 11:59 NIHB Patients Due to Payment Bureaucracy 12:53 Where Can NIHB Patients Go for Help? 13:39 Closing Remarks 14:59 End Screen #IndigenousHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #NIHBProgram