CUPS gets $1.4M to chop wait times, aid patient access
Patients waiting to access mental health services at the Calgary Urban Project Society will get help sooner, after the provincial government announced additional funding for the organization Friday.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman, with Finance Minister Joe Ceci, unveiled a three-year, $1.4-million grant to eliminate existing wait times.
The funding means CUPS will be able to annually help 800 people with mental health and addiction problems, up from the 546 assisted last year.
“We want Albertans and Calgarians to know that your government is listening, that we are on your side and that we know mental health and supporting people living with substance use is a priority for the people of Calgary and ... the government,” said Hoffman.
“We’re proud to work with CUPS to improve mental health and ensure patients get the right care and support where and when they need it. We can’t make vulnerable Albertans rely on the price of oil to make determinations about their health care,” she said.
The Shared Care Mental Health Team at CUPS works to provide mental health care, psychiatric consultation, counselling, advo- cacy and access to social services such as education and housing.
The grant will allow CUPS to expand on these services, hire four new staff members and create an outreach program.
“The work of CUPS is so critical for so many Calgarians,” Ceci said.
“Over my time on city council and before working in the nonprofit sector of Calgary, I can tell you that CUPS was, and is, a consistent leader when it comes to providing services to Albertans,” Ceci said, adding that overall, CUPS assists close to 10,000 people a year.
“I’ve toured the facility a number of times and I’m always impressed by the level of compassion shown by the staff here and how appreciative people are who come through the doors,” he said.
CUPS executive director Carlene Donnelly said the funding will make a big difference.
“This funding will go a long way to help more vulnerable adults build the resilience they need to become productive participants in their community while providing stable, responsive environments for the children in their care,” she said.
“Ultimately, this will lead to stronger families, a healthier community and lasting impact that spans generations. This funding is massive ... and I can say the Government of Alberta has been amazingly supportive.”
CUPS client Karrie Thibodeau said her anxiety was so bad before coming to CUPS that she was nearly hospitalized. She added that she might not even be alive, had she not reached out to the program.
“Before coming to CUPS back in 2015, I was kind of broken in many ways,” she said. “Some traumas have happened in my life, giving me what’s called complex PTSD. I suffered with depression for most of my life as well.
“Until I came (to CUPS), I didn’t really have a place to see that I had a future — and it was going to be a future without the sweating hands,” she said.
“If I had to wait longer, I don’t know if I would be here today.”
Until I came (to CUPS), I didn’t really have a place to see that I had a future —anditwas going to be a future without the sweating hands.”