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Mental Health Week 2025: Unmasking Mental Health
May 5-11 marks the 74th anniversary of Mental Health Awareness Week. This social change campaign aims to educate the public, shift beliefs and perceptions about mental health and encourage behaviours that promote positive mental health for all. This year's theme, "Unmasking Mental Health", invites us to look past the surface and see the whole person. When we embrace authenticity, we open the door to deeper connections and the mental health benefits that come with it. In doing so, we can create a ripple effect of courage and understanding in our communities.
Victim Services Charity Fundraiser
On August 15, 2025, Victim Services Niagara is hosting the second annual Police vs. Fire Charity Softball Classic at Oakes Park in Niagara Falls. One hundred percent of the event's profits will be donated to Victim Services Niagara to fund the immediate crisis and trauma support that they offer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to victims and survivors of crime and tragedy across the Niagara region. Join us for a rematch that promises to be as competitive as it is fun, as the Niagara Regional Police attempt a rematch against the 2024 winners - the Niagara Falls Fire Department! Food, concessions, giveaways, and a 50/50 draw will be available to all guests.
Be There Certificate from Jack.org
Be There is a free, two-hour digital course that teaches you the fundamentals of supporting someone through a mental health challenge, including how to start tough conversations, find professional support when needed, and keep yourself healthy too.
Niagara's HART Hub
In late January, the province announced new funding for Niagara's Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub - a centre dedicated to providing comprehensive addictions and mental health care for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Set to open in late spring or early summer 2025, the HART Hub will offer multidisciplinary care, including psychiatry, primary care, peer support, Indigenous-specific services, mental health and addictions treatment, housing supports and connections to employment. HART Hub services will be available to individuals across the Niagara region.
MHART: A Collaborative Response to Mental Health and Addictions Crisis
Niagara EMS and Niagara Health are partners in the Mental Health and Addictions Response Team (MHART), a ground-breaking mobile mental health crisis response model. By pairing a trained paramedic with a mental health nurse, MHART responds to 9-1-1 calls involving non-life-threatening mental health or addictions concerns - right in the community, when and where help is needed most. This innovative partnership is improving health outcomes, reducing emergency department visits, and connecting people with the right care, at the right place and time, by the right provider.
Free! Online Suicide Prevention Training
In just 90 minutes, the LivingWorks Start program trains participants to tune in to signs that might be about suicide, ask about suicide, state that suicide is serious, and connect a person with thoughts of suicide to life-saving help. Once training is started, you will have 60 days to complete the program. You can stop and start the module, and work at your own pace. This training is free if you reside in the Niagara region. To register, email suicideprevention@niagararegion.ca SPACE IS LIMITED!
