On January 27, 2016 Bell Canada held its annual Let’s Talk day which aims to educate the public on mental health and raise funds for mental health support organizations and programs. Let’s Talk, built on four pillars: Anti-stigma, Care& Access, WorkplaceHealth and Research, has motivated all of us at the COBC to talk more about the mental health and well-being of our registrants.
We know that you might not think of your health care professional regulatory body as the people to come to when you have a crisis or when you are dealing with issues regarding mental health, but we know that mental health problems can affect you and your patients. Health care providers are often faced with, or at the very least fear, increased stigma and the affect that being open about mental health might have on their livelihoods.
At the COBC we don’t believe that depression, anxiety or any number of mental health conditions should be punished. We believe that every person should be given the tools to succeed, but we know not every registrant requires the same tools. Our vision is to be a regulatory body that can provide support and resources for our registrants to thrive there by being able to give their patients the best possible care.
If you broke your arm and couldn’t do your job would you just keep working with a broken arm? You might need to take time off adapt your work or workload. You can still do what you need to do, but you do it differently; it is the same with mental health.
The Health Regulators of BC (HRBC) are increasingly making mental health a priority for all health care professionals. The COBC was thrilled to attend an HRBC education session with the Canadian Association of Mental Health to learn more about how to best support professionals with mental health issues to ensure public safety. If you’re concerned about your own mental health affecting patient care, or a registrant you care about, this is your invitation to contact us, so let’s talk.
For more information about CAMH programs visit their website