August 2009 - Hot Topic

Mental Health: Every Door is the Right Door…and Every Person has a Say

by Christine Herrera, Program Co-ordinator, Towards Evidence-Informed Practice program at OPHA

On July 14th, as you looked around the room at the Open Minds. Healthy Minds. Mental Health and Addictions Strategy Summit there were no dry eyes in sight. As the delegates listened attentively to the touching and inspiring stories from people with lived experiences, they were reminded about the many lives touched by mental illness and addictions. These stories gave a voice and a face to this frequently stigmatized issue.

OPHA Staff at Habitat worksite.

At the Summit hosted by Minister David Caplan and his Advisory Group on Mental Health and Addictions, a discussion paper “Every Door is the Right Door: Towards a 10-Year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy” was released. The paper outlines the proposed strategic directions and priorities for Ontario’s 10-year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. The hope of this strategy is to transform the current mix of fragmented services into an easily accessible system of integrated services to support individuals with mental illness and/or addictions.

The Summit provided a diverse group of consumers and experts with an opportunity to hear about the themes behind the paper. The delegates then were given the chance to participate in round table discussions to share their reactions, ideas and experiences. The tacit knowledge gained from this Summit will be used to enhance and implement the province’s strategy.

The Summit marked the beginning of the discussion on the strategy. All Ontarians are invited to review the discussion paper, browse through the Summit materials/a>, including presentation slides and videos, and provide feedback.

Approximately 1 in 5 Ontarians will have a mental illness or addiction in their lifetime. As citizens of Ontario now is the time for your voice to be heard. Help open the door to healthy minds and healthy lives for those affected by mental health and/or addiction.