Cathy Dobson/The Independent

Sarnia-Lambton critically needs more supportive and affordable housing to address the local mental health crisis, says a frontline worker at Bluewater Health’s ER.

“Housing is such a huge issue,” said Brendan Wiley, who has worked as a registered nurse in mental health for the last five years.

“When it comes to long-term stability, it is a basic safety principle,” he said during a presentation Tuesday for the Sarnia Lambton Golden K Kiwanis Club and stressed his presentation was his own and he did not
speak on behalf of his employer.

Wiley recognizes where to locate supportive housing is contentious, but it’s necessary if mental health issues are going to be fully addressed locally.

“When it comes to providing what is best for the mental health of the people in our community, housing is imperative, he said. “There’s still a lot more work to be done and I think education about what supportive housing is, is a big part of it.”

There’s a tendency to believe there’s an easy fix “and to throw medications at” mental health and addiction issues, Wiley added. “But there isn’t necessarily an easy fix. It’s complex.”

Lambton County council has declared affordable and supportive housing is its top priority at a time when studies show Sarnia-Lambton needs about 2,500 new affordable housing units to meet the need.

Wiley also said Sarnia-Lambton’s programs and facilities to address mental health and addictions have measurably improved in the last few years.

One of the greatest additions is the Youth Wellness Hub for ages 12 – 25 at 190 Front St. in downtown Sarnia, he said.

“That has been hugely beneficial.” The Hub has brought together services under one roof so they are more accessible to youth. Those in crisis can just walk in for support.

“Mental health is so complex in that we have environmental stressors, biological stressors, maybe addiction-related stressors, that can be treated individually with some success.

“But if you can treat them as a whole, you tend to be more successful,” he said.

Wiley said in the past few months he noticed a large number of people coming to the ER with mental health issues who had never been there before.

“The harsh winter exacerbated mental health issues for people who didn’t necessarily have mental health concerns before,” he said. “Being able to go out in nature, go for a walk…makes such a difference.”

He is hoping to introduce a new concept to Sarnia-Lambton that involves nature-based treatments that can be prescribed by registered health care providers. Research shows that as little as two hours a week in
nature improves physical and mental health.

Wiley is interested in working with an organization called PaRx that’s popular in British Columbia where health care providers write prescriptions for time spent outdoors. Once prescribed, patients are more likely to be accountable and spend that time. “It’s a great program that I’d like to see here,” he said.

For those looking to improve their mental health, Wiley had these tips: Sleep, nutrition, exercise, nature, mindfulness, and volunteering.

Sleep is number one, he said. Even the one-hour switch due to Daylight Savings time can have serious impacts.

Some studies show that the rate of fatal car accidents increases six to 20 per cent in the week after the clocks change, indicating that sleep deprivation can critically impair mental health, said Wiley.