Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions are for the Minister of Health.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Health confirm what mental health supports are available to those persons impacted by flooding in Hay River? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for an opportunity to highlight the responses and supports that are available. I'm sure this has been a very trying time for people in Hay River and more so as time goes on.
So the community counselling services, the Member may know, is located in the Jensen Building. It's open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5. No appointment is necessary. The counselling services are also on call 24/7 during an acute crisis such as the one now. There are virtual mental health resources available to residents as well, including things such as the Kid's Help Phone, Wellness Together Canada, and the Help Line, the NWT Help Line. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm how many mental health counsellors are on the ground in Hay River and if the department has sent in additional counsellors from other communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to say we have lots of capacity. There are two fulltime mental health and addictions counsellors, one fulltime child and youth care counsellor, one parttime practicum student, two community wellness workers, a clinic supervisor for CYCC, and a manager who also sees clients. Two additional mental health counsellors are arriving in Hay River from Fort Smith to facilitate community debriefings that are planned for later this week. We also, through HRSSA's communities counselling service, they attend the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre sharing circle for any needs that they can support there. So it's a wellstaffed response. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if there will be any outreach services whereby counsellors set up meetings with victims of localized areas such as the West Channel, Old Town, New Town, Paradise Valley, and the reserve? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we respond to requests and we make the services available in those debrief situations to the whole community so that there's confidentiality available. So crisis debriefs have been offered to key players in the flood response. And there are debriefs scheduled for Friday in the morning and the afternoon at the Hay River Recreation Centre. So I would appreciate the Member's help in making these known to his community so that people can choose to attend. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to actually thank the department and the Hay River Health Authority for having people available right off the start to talk to people, because what I found is that, you know, a lot of the people that were impacted, they needed, you know, somebody to hear their story. So I'd like to thank the department for that, and the Hay River Health Authority.
Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm how long we can except to have counsellors on the ground in Hay River to support those victims requiring mental health supports due to the flooding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that long list of health and addictions counsellors and wellness workers and so on, these are permanent staff in Hay River. And so they are there indefinitely. The additional resources really depend on the demand. So we are expecting there could be a surge in demand tomorrow after the or Friday, pardon me, after the community debriefings.
At this point, we haven't had an overwhelming response to our offer. But the resources are in place, and we encourage people who need them to use them. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
