Mental Health Commission of Canada

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. Their aim is provide relevant jurisdictions and stakeholders with the tools and information required to improve the quality of mental health care and access to it.[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]

Mandate of the Mental Health Commission of Canada

The MHCC was tasked with three major objectives.:[1]

  1. To develop a national mental health strategy (until 2008, Canada was the only G8 nation that did not have one).
  2. To oversee the development and implementation of an anti-stigma and anti-discrimination campaign.
  3. To create a Knowledge Exchange Centre, with the aim of mobilizing evidence-based knowledge to improve best practices and increasing dialogue across Canada.

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.

Former Advisory Committees

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:

Child and Youth

Family Caregivers

First Nations, Inuit and Metis

Mental Health and the Law

Seniors

Service Systems

Science

Workforce

Other Significant Projects and Initiatives

At Home

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.

Changing Minds, Changing Directions

On May 8, 2012, Canada became the last of the G8 nations to create a national mental health strategy. The document, "Changing Minds, Changing Directions," set out six strategic aims, including implementation, prevention, diversity, access and delivery of services.[7]

Opening Minds

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.

Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace Standard

On January 16, 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]

Partnership with the National Mental Health Commission of Australia

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]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Goldbloom, David; Bradley, Louise (2012). "The Mental Health Commission of Canada: the first five years". The Mental Health Review 17 (4): 221. doi:10.1108/13619321211289290. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Department of Finance Canada (21 April 2015). "Building Strong Communities (Chapter 4.2) - Budget 2015". Ottawa,Ontario,Canada: Government of Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Kirby, Michael (6 May 2008). "Mental Health in Canada: Out of the Shadows Forever". Canadian Medical Association Journal 178 (10): 1320. doi:10.1503/cmaj.071897. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Curran, Oisin. "Here At Home: In the Kitchen With Mr. MadDogg". Huffington Post (11 October 2012). Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ahearn, Victoria (5 June 2012). "NFB short web docs capture results of Canada's At Home/Chez Soi study". News1130 (Toronto: Canadian Press). Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Perrin, Catherine (1 June 2012). "Ici, chez soi : la santé mentale au quotidien (radio interview)". Radio-Canada (in French) (Montreal). Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  7. ↑ Anonymous (19 May 2012). "A First for Mental Health in Canada". The Lancet 379: 1862. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60791-0. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  8. ↑ Gordon, Andrea (16 January 2013). "Canada launches workplace standards for mental health and safety". Toronto Star (Mississauga). Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  9. ↑ Marr, Kyle (11 March 2013). "Mental Health Commission of Canada partners with Australia (press release)". Canadian Newswire (Mississauga). Retrieved 27 March 2013.

External links