Mental health a priority for the Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation


RYAN DAHLMAN


Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation is focusing their efforts on an area which is need of some help.


The Foundation officially kicked-off “Giving Hope for Mental Health” campaign earlier this month and it got a nice start with a $10,000 donation from Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL).


Heather Bach, executive director of the Medicine Hat Health Foundation, says there is a plan in place for what the half million goal is targeted towards in mental health services in Medicine Hat and southeast Alberta.


“I work in partnership with the directors of the mental health, addictions and mental health is the AHS team in the south zone,” explains Bach. “The leadership works with them to identify priorities and sustainable item. Want to make sure we were funding things that won’t be moved tomorrow or changed the next year and that we were investing our money that was going to make an impact right away and make an impact for many years to come.


“It was a lengthy process because there are lots of people involved. There were department managers who have to be engaged and then their director, then you operating officer and the chief operating officer has to rubber stamp it all. It takes quite a few months. I threw some item up


there they didn’t know about or they weren’t thinking about, just to make them think. I see it from a different perspective. I look through (different) eyes and see the possibilities while AHS is worried about budgets; they are afraid to dream big and so I try to get them to dream big. It takes a long time to convince them ‘c’mon let me try.’ It does take a few months yes.


“I wish I could go the hospital and pick and choose what I get to fund. That’s not how it works. I work in partnership with AHS to make sure we are funding priority items and that we are funding things that they can operationally maintain.”


Bach says mental health services are all over the city and there are numerous areas where mental health issues are addresses such as the recovery centre for addiction. She says the recovery centre has been open for a number of years and is in need of some simple, yet vital items.


“We want to replace the mattresses believe it or not are worn out already in the facility. We want to get them new comfortable mattresses so they can get a good night’s sleep,” explains Bach. “In the back of the recovery centre, it’s a huge big back grass space, but it is all wild grass. Why aren’t we utilizing it for outside activity so we’d like to put a walking path in so that they can safely walk around? Right now, it is not a friendly space to walk. (They need) a space for them to develop more fitness, meditation and what not… they need to utilize


PHOTO CONTRIBUTED


A representative from Canadian Natural Resources Limited presented Heather Bach with a cheque for $10,000 this April it for outdoor activities.


“Then there are patient services like the psychiatric department within the Medicine


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