Mental Health Centres Applaud First Ever Mental Health Strategy for Canada

Strategy is a Long Awaited Call to Action on Mental Health

TORONTO, May 8, 2012 /CNW/ – Canada’s first national mental health
strategy was welcomed by the province’s specialty mental health
centres: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores), The Royal, and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care.

Canada was the only G7 country without a national strategy on mental
health. “The strategy is comprehensive, focusing on children and youth
through to older adults. We know that prevention and early intervention
are critical. This means that we need to ensure that our workplaces,
our schools and our communities have the right supports,” said Carol
Lambie, Waypoint President and CEO.

“Mental Illness is a societal issue. The Mental Health Strategy for
Canada prompts Canadians to take action and help those affected by a
mental illness on their journey to recovery. Integration and
collaboration among all sectors is crucial to ensure that key supports
such as housing, employment, education and specialized services are
available for mental health and addictions recovery,” said Glenna
Raymond, President and CEO of Ontario Shores.

George Weber, President and CEO of The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group,
noted that “far too many people who need care are ending up in the
criminal justice system; we should be providing treatment to people
with mental illness, not warehousing them in our prisons. This strategy
paves the way forward for us to work together to increase care and
reduce the criminalization of the mentally ill.”

The strategy also addresses the diverse needs of our Canadian population
– in particular, the health inequities experienced by our aboriginal
population. “Today a young aboriginal person is more likely to die from
suicide than go to college – this needs to change,” said Dr. Catherine
Zahn, President and CEO of CAMH.

The four hospitals are working together as part of the Ontario Mental
Health and Addictions Quality Initiative committed to improving care,
education and innovative research in mental health.

SOURCE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health