In speaking with community organizations, CBC News found that Canada's drug crisis is affecting a largely unchecked population of users – newcomers – and we don't even know how severe the issue is. Now, experts are calling not only for better data collection, but also more attention to the realities that lead newcomers to use drugs, and culturally-specific care that could help them escape it.
Posted: May 11, 2021 5:00 AM MT | Last Updated: May 11
Lending An Ear offers phone support in multiple languages to people in their own community.(Brian A Jackson/Getty Images)
Calgary s South Asian community is seeing a surge in people with mental health issues like depression and anxiety, according to organizations that help people in crisis.
Counselling and support groups say many prefer to reach out to local organizations in their own community, but some don t reach out at all due to stigma and language barriers.
They say there have been more suicides in the community, some involving younger people.
Beena Ashar helps take calls for a small grassroots organization set up last year in response to the pandemic. Lending An Ear offers phone support in multiple languages to people in their own community.
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Posted: Dec 11, 2020 5:00 AM MT | Last Updated: December 11, 2020
Nitu Purna was one of four panelists taking part in an online forum on Thursday. She says better representation and diversity within the mental health sphere would be a big help in making services more popular with South Asians in Calgary.(Submitted by Nitu Purna)
A new campaign focused on improving mainstream mental health services for the city s South Asian population has launched in Calgary.
Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS), a not-for-profit that provides counselling services and supports to the South Asian community, created the campaign Say It Like It Is to provide more culturally aware mainstream mental health services.