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The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is a national non-profit organization created by the Canadian government in 2007 in response to a senate committee tasked to study mental health, mental illness, and addiction. The committee appointed Michael J. L. Kirby as the first chairperson. The MHCC was endorsed by all the provinces and territories with exception to Quebec. The Commission is funded by Health Canada and has a ten-year mandate (from 2007 to 2017) enforced through a sunset clause. [1] On 21 April 2015, Minister of Finance Joe Oliver announced that the 2015 federal budget calls for the renewal of the MHCC for another ten-year mandate starting in 2017–2018. [2]
The organization is governed by a board of directors including government and non-governmental directors. Since 2013, the board has been assisted by an advisory council and a network of ambassadors. From 2007 to 2012, the board was assisted by eight advisory committees. The Commission is not responsible to undertake service-delivery or advocacy for mental health services. The aim is provide relevant jurisdictions and stakeholders with tools and information required to improve the quality of and access to mental health care. [3]
The proposal for creation of the MHCC was made by the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology in 2006 in their publication, "Out of the Shadows at Last", a comprehensive study of the state of mental health care in Canada. [1]
The MHCC was tasked with three major objectives: [1]
In addition to the three initiatives stated above, a fourth initiative was added when the Commission entered into a five-year Health Canada funding agreement in 2008 to support five research demonstration projects on mental health and homelessness. Mental Health First Aid was added to the Commission in 2010.
The MHCC does not provide clinical services, direct fiscal or human resources related to clinical practice, monitor government performance, or engage in advocacy with government bodies. It operates outside the federal/provincial/territorial constitutional framework, working at all jurisdictional levels.
From 2007 to 2012, the MHCC worked with eight committees, each having approximately 120 members with expertise and experience in a different field of mental health, in order to oversee their mandate. The committees were tasked with advising on the following major areas of concern:
First Nations, Inuit and Metis
The Commission's "At Home" research project ("Chez Soi" in French) looked to address homelessness for people with mental illness by combining treatment with places to live, and is the largest experiment of its kind in the world. [4] Taking place in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton, the project is based on the Housing First model of the Pathways to Housing program in the United States, which has reported positive results in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington. [5]
In 2012, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is documenting the results of the At Home project with the interactive web documentary Here At Home. Fifty short documentaries about the experiences of participants in At Home are being added to the NFB website until the summer of 2013. Directors on the NFB project include Manfred Becker (Toronto), Lynne Stopkewich (Vancouver) and Louiselle Noël (Moncton). [4] [5] [6]
The research portion of this project concluded in March 2013.
On May 8, 2012, Canada became the last of the G8 nations to create a national mental health strategy. The document, Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada, set out six strategic aims, including implementation, prevention, diversity, access and delivery of services. [7]
The Opening Minds initiative was launched in 2009 to combat stigma against mental illness. The Commission invited organizations across the country to submit applications for to be considered for inclusion in the program. Currently they work with 65 partners and 45 active projects. It was decided that the projects would focus on four target groups, namely: healthcare providers, youth (12-18), workforce, and media.
On 16 January 2013, the MHCC announced the release of the Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Standard. This framework was designed to be adapted by Canadian companies in assisting them to implement policies and practices aimed at combatting mental illness and identifying potential hazards to their employees. [8]
In March 2013, the MHCC announced a partnership with the National Mental Health Commission of Australia. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed to share knowledge on best practices for mental health research. [9]
MHCC initiated Informing the Future to paint a picture of mental health in Canada. These indicators provide information on the mental health status of children and youth, adults, and seniors, as well as show how the mental health care system responds to mental illness. [10]
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a psychiatric teaching hospital located in Toronto and ten community locations throughout the province of Ontario, Canada. It reports being the largest research facility in Canada for mental health and addictions. The hospital was formed in 1998 from the amalgamation of four separate institutions – the Queen Street Mental Health Centre, the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, the Addiction Research Foundation, and the Donwood Institute. It is Canada's largest mental health teaching hospital, and the only stand-alone psychiatric emergency department in Ontario. CAMH has 90 distinct clinical services across inpatient, outpatient, day treatment, and partial hospitalization models. CAMH has been the site of major advancements in psychiatric research, including the discovery of the Dopamine receptor D2.
In November 2004, voters in the U.S. state of California passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which has been designed to expand and transform California's county mental health service systems. The MHSA is funded by imposing an additional one percent tax on individual, but not corporate, taxable income in excess of one million dollars. In becoming law in January 2005, the MHSA represents the latest in a Californian legislative movement, begun in the 1990s, to provide better coordinated and more comprehensive care to those with serious mental illness, particularly in underserved populations. Its claim of successes thus far, such as with the development of innovative and integrated Full Service Partnerships (FSPs), are not without detractors who highlight many problems but especially a lack of oversight, large amount of unspent funds, poor transparency, lack of engagement in some communities, and a lack of adherence to required reporting as challenges MHSA implementation must overcome to fulfill the law's widely touted potential.
Mind is a mental health charity in England and Wales. It was founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health (NAMH).
A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician, physician assistant, registered dietitian, veterinarian, veterinary technician, optometrist, pharmacist, pharmacy technician, medical assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist, dentist, midwife, psychologist, audiologist, or healthcare scientist, or who perform services in allied health professions. Experts in public health and community health are also health professionals.
Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy in certain locations within the Western world. There is a substantial base of evidence showing that Housing First is both an effective solution to homelessness and a form of cost savings, as it also reduces the use of public services like hospitals, jails, and emergency shelters. Cities like Helsinki and Vienna in Europe have seen dramatic reductions in homelessness due to the adaptation of Housing First policies, as have the North American cities Columbus, Ohio, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Medicine Hat, Alberta.
A group home, congregate living facility, care home, adult family home, etc., is a structured and supervised residence model that provides assisted living and medical care for those with complex health needs. Traditionally, the model has been used for children or young people who cannot live with their families or afford their own homes, people with chronic disabilities who may be adults or seniors, or people with dementia and related aged illnesses. Typically, there are no more than six residents, and there is at least one trained caregiver there 24 hours a day. In some early "model programs", a house manager, night manager, weekend activity coordinator, and four part-time skill teachers were reported. Originally, the term group home referred to homes of 8 to 16 individuals, which was a state-mandated size during deinstitutionalization. Residential nursing facilities, also included in this article, may be as large as 100 individuals in 2015, which is no longer the case in fields such as intellectual and developmental disabilities. Depending on the severity of the condition requiring one to need to live in a group home, some clients are able to attend day programs and most clients are able to live normal lifestyles.
Don Owen was a Canadian film director, writer and producer who spent most of his career with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). His films Nobody Waved Good-bye and The Ernie Game are regarded as two of the most significant English Canadian films of the 1960s.
Julian Gardner is an Australian lawyer renowned for his promotion of human rights through the practice of law. In 2015 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "significant service to the community through leadership roles with social welfare, mental health, legal aid and other legal organisations".
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a Canadian non-profit mental health organization that focuses on resources, programs and advocacy. It was founded on April 22, 1918, by Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally named the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it is one of the largest and oldest voluntary health organizations operating in Canada.
Anthony Charles Sousa is a Canadian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament from Mississauga-Lakeshore since December 12, 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Finance for Ontario from 2013 to 2018. A member of the Ontario Liberal Party, Sousa was elected to represent Missisuaga South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2007. He joined the provincial cabinet as the minister of labour in 2010 and became Ontario's minister of citizenship and immigration in 2011. In 2022, Sousa ran as the federal Liberal candidate in the Mississauga-Lakeshore by-election which was held on December 12, 2022. Sousa won the election, defeating 39 other candidates.
Dennis Lester Anderson was a provincial-level politician from Alberta, Canada. At seventeen, Anderson attended Rochdale College in Toronto and started the Rochdale Drug Crisis Centre. He has continued to advocate for mental health ever since. After Rochdale, he spent several years in media, hosting weekly radio shows about current political affairs.
The Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) is a nonprofit organization created to function as Maryland's state-designated health information exchange (HIE), by the Maryland Health Care Commission. CRISP currently serves as the HIE for Maryland and the District of Columbia. CRISP is advised by a wide range of stakeholders who are responsible for healthcare throughout the region.
Manfred Becker is a German-Canadian documentary independent filmmaker and film editor. His work often explores personal stories behind current or historical issues.
Unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) are paraprofessionals who assist individuals with physical disabilities, mental impairments, and other health care needs with their activities of daily living (ADLs). UAPs also provide bedside care—including basic nursing procedures—all under the supervision of a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse or other health care professional. UAPs must demonstrate their ability and competence before gaining any expanded responsibilities in a clinical setting. While providing this care, UAPs offer compassion and patience and are part of the patient's healthcare support system. Communication between UAPs and registered nurses (RNs) is key as they are working together in their patients' best interests. The scope of care UAPs are responsible for is delegated by RNs or other clinical licensed professionals.
Occupational health nursing is a specialty nursing practice that provides for and delivers health and safety programs and services to workers, worker populations, and community groups. The practice focuses on promotion, maintenance and restoration of health, prevention of illness and injury, and protection from work‐related and environmental hazards. Occupational health nurses (OHNs) aim to combine knowledge of health and business to balance safe and healthful work environments and a "healthy" bottom line.
Canadian Hearing Services was founded in 1940 to provide services for deaf and hard of hearing people in Ontario. Services include instruction in American and Quebec sign languages, interpreter services, deafblind intervenors, audiology and speech–language pathology. The CHS advocates for the hearing impaired in Canada through the support of 9-1-1 texting, visual fire alarms, and access to the justice system. The CHS handles emergency situations in hospitals, emergency rooms, after-hours clinics, shelters, and police services.
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH)—formerly named the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN)—is a Canadian non-profit, non-partisan research institute that works with researchers, service providers, policy makers, students and people who have experienced homelessness.
Sam J. Tsemberis is a Greek Canadian clinical and community psychology practitioner, and the founder and executive director of Pathways to Housing, a Housing First program for individuals with serious mental illnesses, long histories of homelessness, and often co-occurring substance abuse. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor in Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of Los Angeles California.
The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization based in Toronto, Canada. Its mission is to “promote, protect and improve the safety and health of working people by conducting actionable research that is valued by employers, workers, and policy-makers.”
Stanley Paul Kutcher is a Canadian Senator and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on 12 December 2018.