Mental Health is Where Compassion and Commerce Meet
Dr. Kevin Smith, CEO of St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph’s Health System spoke during the 2014 Hamilton Economic Summit about changing the conversation of mental illness and substance abuse and its impact on our community and economy.
1 in 5 Canadians live each day with some form of mental illness – whether clinically diagnosed or not. Although the correlation might not be easy to spot on the surface, this statistic poses significant impact on the stability of our region’s economy.
Throughout his talk, Dr. Smith spoke about the perception of seeking treatment for mental illness and addiction versus the perception of seeking treatment for cancer. When a person feels stigmatization regarding their ailment, as many people unfortunately do, they are less likely to seek out treatment for fear of their current or future employer finding out.
Dr. Smith referenced a World Health Organization statistic that predicts that by 2030 mental health will be the number one presenting problem in the world; the implication of this on the workforce and economy will cost billions of dollars in lost revenue for employers and organizations worldwide.
“Mental health is where compassion and commerce meet,” includes Dr. Smith, who continues on to speak about the new St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Margaret and Charles Centre for Integrated Healthcare or also referred to as the West 5th Campus.
The new $1 billion campus integrates mental health and addictions treatment, medical and diagnostic outpatient clinics, and an innovative research facility resulting in a centre that is an anchor for innovation and medical expertise in Hamilton. Dr. Smith says that developing and promoting a local life sciences cluster is “profoundly important.”
You can also listen to Dr. Smith’s talk by clicking here and read more about the Hamilton Economic Summit 2014 here.