'Turning point' drives Waterloo pharmacist to raise funds for local mental health education centre

Everywhere he looked—in the Waterloo, Ont., pharmacy that he owns, within his community or in the daily news—pharmacist Pascal Niccoli saw people grappling with poor mental health. So he did something about it. The father of two young boys started a campaign to raise funds for a local mental health and wellbeing centre, to be set up and run by the Waterloo Wellington chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. To date, he's raised more than $100,000, which Shoppers Drug Mart has topped up for a total national donation to CMHA of $500,000, according to the Waterloo Chronicle. “The signs are certainly there that mental health is having a huge impact on our community,” said Niccoli, a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist and owner. “We have a lot of customers obviously on anti-depressants and many on low doses or stable doses now requiring higher doses or changing medication to try and control worsening mental health and addiction, as well as many who had recovered from addiction who are relapsing.” The call to action came to him last summer, when he learned of two incidents of infanticide. “To me, that was a big turning point in terms of my perspective as a father of two young boys,” said Niccoli, who works closely with a local women’s shelter, where he has seen mental health issues stemming from trafficking and domestic abuse. The $500,000-donation will help fund CMHA “recovery colleges”—learning environments across Canada that incorporate walks, exercise, group discussions and lessons on various coping mechanisms such as journaling. The organization operates about 20 of these recovery colleges across Canada. Demand for mental health services has increased significantly in the period leading up to and during the over pandemic. In the Waterloo Wellington, for instance, the CMHA has seen a 40% increase in requests for its services, according to Tanya Stuart, CMHA’s spokesperson for the region. Getting help has not been easy. Newly released data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed, between 2019 and 2020, half of Canadians waited for up to a month for ongoing counselling services in their community. In some cases—among one in 10 Canadians—the wait was more than four months. Niccoli hopes his efforts will help provide mental health resources to those who need them. “If someone doesn’t feel right or is feeling hopeless because they lost their job or are unemployed or feeling the burden of home life in ways they hadn’t before, this is really meant to help drive resources and support,” he said.

'Turning point' drives Waterloo pharmacist to raise funds for local mental health education centre

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