November 1, 2018, Corner Brook—The Qalipu First Nation is pleased to announce an expansion to our Health Division and our health services delivery.  Effective November 1, 2018, Qalipu will take on administration of the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Mental Health Counselling benefit for members of the Band living in Atlantic Canada.

The NIHB Mental Health Counselling benefit is intended to provide coverage for mental health counselling to complement other mental wellness services that may be available. This service provides for up to 22 hours of counselling annually (with extensions if needed) for individuals, children, families and groups.

There are numerous providers across the Atlantic Region that deliver this service (updated: June 22, 2021) who are ready to set appointments with clients.  To access counselling, members of the Band can choose a counsellor from the list, call to make an appointment and, after the appointment, the counsellor will send a request for approval to Qalipu for processing and the member bears no cost.

If a Band member needs to travel outside of their community to access their counsellor, they may also be eligible to receive support under the medical transportation benefit.

Mitch Blanchard, Manager of the Health Service Division said, “There are times in all of our lives when counselling could make a difference, and we encourage all those who are eligible to take advantage of the help that is available.  You don’t have to go through it alone.”

Those experiencing emotional distress and wishing to talk can also contact the toll- free Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310, or the online chat at hopeforwellness.ca, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mental health counselling is the second NIHB benefit for which Qalipu has taken over the administration on behalf of members living in Atlantic Canada.  The Band began administering the medical transportation benefit last year and plans to pursue management of other programs and services to grow the Band’s ability to serve its own membership, create employment opportunities for our people, and generate own source revenue that can be re-invested into our communities.