Something to talk about

Upcoming Let’s Talk campaign raises funds for mental health BRAIN WAVES

Bell Let’s Talk Day is just around the corner and the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia is proud to support the important work of the partners at Bell Aliant and Bell Canada.

In addition to the ongoing impact of creating more open conversation surrounding mental illness and addiction, the foundation is honoured to have the support of Bell Let’s Talk as presenting sponsor of the Mental Health Foundation’s Let’s Keep Talking awareness event. President and CEO Starr Cunningham also serves as an advisor of the Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund.

On Jan. 26, let’s get talking. By simply starting a conversation, you’ll be helping eradicate the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction and increasing funding to mental health and addiction initiatives.

During the past 12 years,

Bell Let’s Talk has provided more than $121 million in funding to mental health initiatives across Canada. That includes friends, partners and grant recipients at the following Nova Scotia based organizations that received financial support from Bell Let’s Talk Diversity Fund, community grants and major gifts.

Heartwood Centre for Community Youth Development’s HEART project - A mental wellness art program, for youth by youth, founded by Kayla Bernard, a youth from Sipekne’katik First Nation.

Hope Blooms - Bell Let’s Talk funding enabled this groundbreaking social enterprise to hire a youth navigator for one-on-one support for teens, promote access to mental health services and clinical therapists as well as build a support bridge between Hope Blooms youth and their school.

New Dawn Community Development Educational Foundation – Funding for mental health first aid, ASIST suicide prevention and nonviolent crisis intervention training to 30 medical first responders (MFRS), including firefighters.

North End Community Health Association - Rapid Response Program funding has helped provide mental health services to prevent individual crisis, support the community in times of need and further help minimize the gap in health outcomes experienced by African Nova Scotians due to racism and poverty.

Our Health Centre Association - Bell Let’s Talk funding has increased the number of counsellors at PAUSE: Mental Health Walk-in Clinic which provides free mental health counselling and treatment, early intervention and social supports for Chester area families.

QEII Foundation - A

Bell Let’s Talk major gift has helped fund the introduction of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (RTMS) at the Nova Scotia hospital and Valley Regional Hospital. RTMS is used to stimulate or inhibit nerve cells in the brain to alleviate symptoms of depression. The therapy is intended for the one-third of people with major depressive disorders who don’t respond to medication, bringing new hope to this population.

Strongest Families Institute (STI) – Funding from

Bell Let’s Talk has supported the recent launch of a new secure mobile app to further enhance SFI’S ability to reach people in remote communities with its proven programs that leverage highly skilled coaches and innovative technology to improve mental health and well-being.

Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) - A Bell Let’s Talk grant has provided mental health first aid training to VON community support and services staff who serve seniors, dependent adults and persons with dementia throughout Nova Scotia.

Join us on the 12th annual Bell Let’s Talk Day to help improve the lives of Nova Scotians living with mental illness and addiction. For every text, mobile and long-distance call made on the Bell network, tweet using #Bellletstalk, social media video view, or use of the Facebook frame or Snapchat filter on Jan. 29, Bell will contribute five cents to Canadian mental health programs.

Together, we can help change the way people think about psychological disorders and increase financial support to mental health initiatives in Nova Scotia communities.

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Jill Chappell is the marketing and communications lead of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. She’s an award-winning broadcaster, entrepreneur, community volunteer and mom to two active and adventurous twin boys.