Released on June 7, 2013
Following a recent commitment to develop a Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Saskatchewan, government has taken its first step by appointing a commissioner to lead this important initiative.
Saskatoon-based clinical psychologist Dr. Fern Stockdale Winder has agreed to advise the Minister of Health in the development of a plan to strengthen interventions for mental health and addictions issues for Saskatchewan people. Stockdale Winder also served as a board member and vice-chair to the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
“The commitment we made one month ago today was bold and will require a dedicated and focused leader as commissioner,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said. “We want to take a patient-first approach to improving mental health services for our residents. The appointment of Dr. Stockdale Winder in this key role will ensure that experience, passion, and dedication will lead the work as we move forward on this much needed Action Plan.”
Stockdale Winder will lead a review of mental health and addictions services in the province. This will include a consultation with clients, families, stakeholders, and service providers across a broad range of the human services sector to determine what is working well, what requires improvement, and opportunities for prevention.
Following this engagement, the commissioner will report recommendations to the Minister of Health in the fall of 2014.
“"I’m honoured to serve in this role,” Dr. Stockdale Winder said. “Working as a front-line clinician for the past 15 years in Saskatchewan has helped me to appreciate the lived reality of mental health and addictions issues and both the strengths and challenges of our systems and communities. Serving on the Board of Directors of the Mental Health Commission of Canada has given me the opportunity to see a wealth of creative solutions occurring across Canada, and I am eager to see what emerges from our province as we listen carefully to the feedback of our partners. I look forward to together producing a strategic and innovative vision for mental health and addiction needs in Saskatchewan.”
An Executive Steering Committee, chaired by the Minister of Health and made up of leaders from the Ministries of Education, Social Services, Corrections and Policing, as well as Justice, regional health authorities, aboriginal representatives, the education and policing sectors, as well as clients, will provide strategic oversight to the plan’s development.
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For more information, contact:
Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca