By Camille Bains THE CANADIAN PRESS An Ottawa-based non-profit that helped develop Canada’s long-term care standards now wants to set national guidelines for mental health and addictions treatmentand suicide prevention. The Health Standards Organization (HSO) said Tuesday it is responding to the growing use of illicit substances in a country where nearly 4,000 people die by suicide each year. Spokeswoman Kaye Phillips said the HSO’s aim is to improve care throughout people’s lives, provide more support to their family members and meet the needs of diverse populations, including youth and Indigenous communities. The suicide prevention standard, for example, requires mental healthteams to be trained on routine screening and assessing of suicide risk and for policymakers to develop programs and build the workforce to implement them. Consultations with groups including the…
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