SDLP Leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood
Said the SDLP leader: “Last year, the Education Authority Local Assessment of Need for Derry and Strabane showed that one in five young people need mental health support, equating to a staggering 9,985 individuals in the Derry and Strabane area.
“Over the summer, I have had young people in my office whose health, including mental health, is suffering and they cannot be left to wait.
“There is an undeniable link between health inequalities and areas of deprivation in our city.
“Children and young people in low-income households and disadvantaged communities in Derry and Strabane face many challenges in their physical and mental health, leading to lower life expectancies and worse overall health outcomes.
“A staggering 54.7% of children and young people in Derry and Strabane reside in areas of high multiple deprivations, hurting our young people’s education, contributing to absenteeism, and ultimately hindering their life chances.
“The Stormont stalemate has failed this generation.
“As the DUP continue to play their games, people’s lives are getting worse.
“The DUP must end their boycott and drive a targeted strategy to tackle poverty in Derry and address the root causes of inequality in the North West.”
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