London, Ontario – St. Joseph’s Regional Mental
Health Care (RMHC) London and The Canadian
Hearing Society (CHS) is hosting an event today to
raise awareness about the supports that are
available to meet the unique needs of the deaf
community, particularly those who experience
mental health issues.
Ten per cent of the overall population has a
hearing loss and one per cent are completely
deaf. London has a larger than average Deaf
(signing) community given the provincial draw of
the Robarts School for the Deaf.
Today’s event falls midway through Speech
and Hearing month and takes place in the
cafeteria at RMHC (850 Highbury Avenue) from
11 – 2 pm.
“Those who drop by will meet some of the
local experts who specialize in serving this
population and will experience state-of-the-art
technological equipment,” says RMHC’s Dr.
Elizabeth Lock, the only psychiatrist in Canada
who has an expertise in this area.
As with the hearing community, 20 per cent of
those with hearing loss have mental health issues.
“London has a rare critical mass of specialized
mental health professionals and resources for deaf
consumers,” says Karen Frayn, Director of
CONNECT Counselling Services at the CHS. “The
partnership between RMHC and our organization
will be instrumental in developing best practices
in mental health services for this population.”
The partnership is unique to Canada, as is the
first tool the organizations are launching together
at today’s event – a handy pocket-guide that offers
tips to healthcare providers when faced with a
deaf, deafened or hard of hearing client.
For more information contact:
Janet Tufts
Communication Consultant
St. Joseph’s Health Care London
(519) 455-5110 ext. 47155 Pager: (519) 680-8298