“The mental health of our soldiers has never been more prominent, nor the need for support more pressing. We will never stop fighting for your mental health. We will never stop inquiring, innovating, learning, testing and delivering improvements in care.” – George Weber, President and CEO of The Royal
That ‘fight’ will carry on in earnest, thanks to the recent establishment of the first Chair of Military Mental Health by the Canadian Armed Forces in partnership with The Royal.
During the announcement on December 11, Mr. Weber said The Royal is the ideal home for the research and other activities associated with the Chair of Military Mental Health, given the work of the Operational Stress Injury Clinic, sleep lab and substance abuse clinic. “We have insight into the unique circumstances of soldiers, veterans and their families,” he said, adding that over the past five years, The Royal has helped soldiers to get better and families heal. “This understanding, along with our broader expertise in mental health and addictions across the lifespan and our track record for delivering outstanding care, makes us a unique partner.”
As the first Chair of Military Mental Health, Colonel Rakesh Jetly, a senior psychiatrist and mental health advisor to the Surgeon General, will be working closely with leading-edge researchers and clinicians at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research. Colonel Jetly and his team will be able to leverage national and international research partnerships established by The Royal as well as the Canadian Forces in order to deliver ground-breaking research and transform discoveries into improved clinical care for soldiers suffering from debilitating psychological injuries.
Eager to work with Colonel Jetly on aspects of mental health pertinent to people who wear a soldier’s uniform, Dr. Zul Merali, President and CEO of the Institute, said, “With our combined expertise, we hope for great things to come.”
For his part, Colonel Jetly — who will become an integral part of The Royal’s research family — is looking forward to “advancing the cause of mental health on behalf of all clinicians throughout the country who are helping soldiers and veterans who are struggling.”
Combat duty, peacekeeping missions and other traumatic situations have exacted a huge toll on members of the Armed Forces and veterans. With an anticipated increase in the number of people with operational stress injuries, including PTSD, the establishment of the Canadian Military and Veterans Mental Health Centre of Excellence, and the Chair is welcome – and timely – news.
The importance of this new Chair is significant in its ability to advance new research in PTSD and build better understanding of military and veteran mental health issues.
“Today is truly about helping soldiers get their lives back and changing the statistics on suicide into stories of recovery,” added Mr. Weber. “It’s about hope and it’s about recovery.”
The CF Brigadier Jonathan C. Meakins, CBE, RCAMC Chair in Military Mental Health is named after one of the world’s first PTSD researchers during the First World War. Brigadier Meakins was the founding president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, president of the Canadian Mental Health Association and of the Canadian Medical Association, deputy director of general medical services during the Second World War and a member of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.