The Nova Scotia government is spending $14 million over five years on a new sexual violence therapy program.
It will be led by the Avalon Sexual Assualt Centre in Halifax.
The centre says the funding will more than double the number of provincially-funded sexual violence therapists in Nova Scotia — from 11 to 24 — by March 2023.
The therapists will be distributed across all four health authority zones in the province, with four in the Eastern Zone, three in the Northern Zone, four in the Western Zone and nine in the Central Zone.
“This means working collaboratively across sectors to eliminate barriers related to geography and social factors,” said executive director of the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre, Sarah Rodimon, in a news release.
“We are particularly dedicated to alleviating barriers for rural communities, Indigenous communities, African Nova Scotians, and men and men-identified individuals."
The province says four of the new positions will be designated for African Nova Scotian and Indigenous therapists.
The province is currently giving money to seven community organizations across Nova Scotia to deliver trauma therapy to survivors — but the government says this model has resulted in a lack of access for some marginalized groups.
The Avalon Sexual Assault Centre will now work with existing community organizations to better meet the needs of all survivors.
“People dealing with the trauma of sexual violence deserve the best therapy we can offer,” said Brian Comer, the minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health, in the release.
“The Avalon Sexual Assault Centre has decades of experience in this field. They are experts, and I know they will do a phenomenal job of implementing a provincial model.”
The contract for the service will be managed by Nova Scotia Health.
