ROCSMO launches new mental health platform amid Mental Health Week

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OUTAOUAIS – The Regroupement des organismes communautaires en santé mentale de l’Outaouais (ROCSMO) recently announced the launch of a new and unique web platform called Santé Mentale Outaouais (SMO) on May 2 during National Mental Health Week. It aims to promote mental health programs and services community organizations and public institutions provide in the Outaouais region, making it easier for people to access them whether they’ve been diagnosed with a mental health disorder or not.

The SMO platform, to be improved and updated over time, was created in response to growing evidence of psychological distress in the population and the difficulty people face accessing mental health services. It provides a complete list of available resources and an interactive map to help users find the closest mental health services. It also offers informative resources on various mental health disorders and symptom appraisal tools to help users find the most suitable program or service for their needs.

“We want to better inform the population so they can seek mental health services from community agencies that are full of possibilities, easily accessible, and offer many programs,” said Jean-Francois Parent, president of ROCSMO.

Mélanie Sarazin, director general of ROCSMO, highlighted the importance of catering to the predominantly English-speaking population of the Pontiac. “One of the SMO platform’s essential features is it will be entirely in English only. Ensuring the platform’s resources are accessible to Anglophones is crucial so they can seek mental health services easily,” she explained.

In addition to the SMO platform, ROCSMO is also working on its second project, Click au projet, which aims to assist clients in finding transportation services to access mental health services outside of their local area. “We’re hopeful Click au projet will launch next year, contingent upon securing financial support from the centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) and federal government,” noted Sarazin.

Those interested can consult the SMO platform at www.santementaleoutaouais.ca.