Results recently came out for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Waterloo Wellington's Mentally Healthy Communities Survey. The organization says the scores weren't as high as they'd hoped, and Wellington County's was the lowest by a good margin.

Survey-takers evaluated their mental health within their communities based on a variety of factors. Personal and community safety, diversity, and commute-times were all taken into consideration by those filling out the ten-minute survey. Also included was the ease of access to mental health supports and employment opportunities.

Ratings were as high as 6.8 in Waterloo and 6.7 in Guelph.

Wellington County, though, lagged behind, clocking in at five out of ten.

CEO of CMHA Waterloo Wellington Helen Fishburn stated nines and high eights are what her organization would prefer to see.

She says the survey, despite its shorter nature, did showcase an area that the community would like to see action taken in.

"92 per cent of our respondents to the survey said they needed their municipal governments to prioritize mental health. They wanted it to be a big, big priority for the work that municipalities do," Fishburn stated.

"That's really what our residents told us. That was the number one finding, and 92 per cent of them - that says a lot," she added.

Fishburn went on to say it wasn't a surprise to see rural areas have lower scores.

"We know that there are historical reasons why people struggle more in rural areas, and very legitimate reasons," Fishburn said.

"Things like not having as many services, transportation barriers to get to those services. Feeling a deeper sense of isolation and disconnection. For all of those reasons it's not surprising the ratings were lower in rural areas," she concluded.

Fishburn explained she’s aware mental health leaders are doing great things within the community, but the survey points out the onus is on government at other levels to integrate funds and reach a broader group of people.

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