Dr. Kwame McKenzie
Toronto Star
May 28, 2011
The hightlights:
"Living with the stigma and symptoms of a severe mental health problem is challenging enough. But they have to add to that the social isolation that comes with being jobless. Many people with schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses do not work, and many have been told they cannot work. Yet an interesting thing happens when they do find employment — their health improves.
Study after study has confirmed that a good job is good for their health. Their quality of life goes way up. Their use of health services goes way down.
Almost half of provincial government resources are spent on health care. When we find a proven formula for improving health and reducing use of health-care services, we should be doing everything possible to implement it. But this is not what we are doing. We are not doing enough to find jobs for people with serious mental health problems and we penalize those who battle prejudice and actually succeed in finding jobs for themselves."
A related story:
Laurie Monsebraaten
Toronto Star
May 24th, 2011
The highlights:
"Like everyone who receives a monthly cheque from Ontario's disability support program, Sharon Burfind loses 50 cents on every dollar she earns in her part-time job.
The meagre amount of earnings she and other disabled people keep then triggers higher costs for other help they receive, such as subsidized rent, child care and student loan repayments.
"The rational person would say 'What’s the point of working?'" says Burfind, 60. "The majority of people work to get ahead, not to get behind."
Earning rules and administrative practices are one of the reasons why those who rely on Ontario's welfare system for the disabled are 11 times more likely to be unemployed than the average Ontarian, says a new report by advocates for the mentally ill."
The meagre amount of earnings she and other disabled people keep then triggers higher costs for other help they receive, such as subsidized rent, child care and student loan repayments.
"The rational person would say 'What’s the point of working?'" says Burfind, 60. "The majority of people work to get ahead, not to get behind."
Earning rules and administrative practices are one of the reasons why those who rely on Ontario's welfare system for the disabled are 11 times more likely to be unemployed than the average Ontarian, says a new report by advocates for the mentally ill."
