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 Centre for Addictionand Mental Health |
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Publications
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Transforming LivesThe Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is one of the leading addiction and mental health organizations in North
America, and Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital. “They don’t do heart surgery at CAMH, but they save people’s lives in other ways.” Client-centred care Each year, CAMH treats over 20,000 people and responds to over 400,000 outpatient visits. Whether it is a young person experiencing a first episode of psychosis, a senior with dementia, an adult with a drug addiction and depression, a child with a learning disability or anger management issue, or a person with a gambling problem or with schizophrenia, CAMH provides the specialized treatment needed. We’re transforming lives. At CAMH, our client-centred care focuses on individual client needs and strengths, and fully involves clients and their families. We respect the diversity of the clients and communities we serve, and provide inclusive, collaborative, culturally appropriate care and services. Our view of health is holistic. CAMH offers a multi-disciplinary team approach to treatment, with programs that address issues affecting health, such as housing, employment, income and social support. We work with our community partners to nurture clients through a continuum of clinical programs, and support and rehabilitation services. “As hard as it was, I never would have been the person I am today without having gone through recovery at CAMH. Today I work
as an addiction counsellor. I know addiction can be overcome, and that change is possible.” Dedicated staff team CAMH brings together the talent and resources needed to be a leader in the mental health and addiction fields. CAMH has attracted a superb team of 2,800 doctors, clinicians, researchers, nurses, therapists, educators, staff, volunteers and students who every day demonstrate their compassion and dedication to our clients, as well as their commitment to excellence. We have recruited world-renowned and award-winning specialists to many of our clinical programs and research initiatives. They include numerous endowed university chairs and professors, Canada Research Chairs, psychiatric fellows and recipients of the Order of Canada. Our talented staff develop new models of care that impact mental health and addiction treatment far beyond CAMH itself. We provide professional education, build clinical capacity and support health promotion provincially, nationally and internationally. “Research at CAMH is—like CAMH itself—client-centred, dedicated to excellence, and infused with a spirit of discovery and
collaboration.” Pioneering treatment program CAMH is home to nine clinical programs offering leading-edge inpatient, outpatient and community-based treatment: • Addictions CAMH is also a leader in providing integrated treatment for people with concurrent disorders (both substance use and mental health problems). We provide a range of high-quality clinical services, including assessment, brief intervention, inpatient care, outpatient services, continuing care and family support. In this way, we effectively meet the diverse needs of people who are at different stages of their lives and illnesses, or who are at risk of becoming ill. A full guide to CAMH services is available. Groundbreaking research CAMH is the largest mental health and addiction research facility in Canada, employing nearly 100 full-time scientists and about 300 research staff. We currently secure over $37 million in grants and undertake hundreds of research studies each year. CAMH’s research keeps us on the leading edge of treatment, allowing us to turn what we learn at the bench side into practice at the bedside. Our neuroscientists, clinical scientists and researchers are recognized glob-ally for breakthroughs in understanding the brain’s structure and chemistry and the role of genes, as well as for pioneering new mental health and addiction treatments. These discoveries, along with social policy research in substance use and mental health issues, are leading to innovative and effective health prevention strategies, social programs and public policies. Our advances are helping people in Canada and beyond enjoy longer, healthier lives. Education, health promotion, public policy As a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, CAMH is proud of the quality of our clinical and scientific training. Each year almost 500 doctors, medical students, nurses and allied health professionals train at CAMH, and almost 7,000 take part in our continuing education courses. CAMH also develops publications and resources for health professionals, clients and the public. We provide the most extensive and up-to-date information on topics ranging from prevention to treatment of mental illness and addictions, and promote best practices across the province. CAMH is offering more online courses, and our website www.camh.net provides downloadable, multilingual information and publications to increase access to CAMH programs and resources. Through our McLaughlin Information Centre’s toll-free information line (1 800 463-6273), we also respond to about 60,000 requests for information each year. Through our network of 32 regional sites across Ontario, CAMH collaborates with communities on health promotion initiatives and strategies that support health and prevent illness. We also work with community partners to advance public policy and programs at all levels of government that reflect the latest research and respond to the needs of people with addiction and mental health problems. Through the CAMH Office of International Health and our work through the United Nations, we play an important role in advancing the understanding and treatment of mental illness and addiction globally, while bringing home important learnings to inform the cultural competence of our own care and treatment. “The mandate of any hospital is to treat people who are ill. At CAMH we do that and so much more. We are committed to transforming lives. At CAMH we make important research discoveries, train the next generation of health professionals, and develop new standards of clinical care and treatment. At the same time, we’re committed to health promotion and disease prevention, fighting stigma, and contributing to new public policies that will improve the lives of people struggling with mental illness and addiction.” Dr. Paul Garfinkel Transforming lives here CAMH is committed to improve and transform care and to enhance the quality of life of people with mental health and addiction issues. To make this commitment a reality, CAMH has embarked on a bold, multi-phase redevelopment of our Queen Street site in Toronto. Our award-winning Transforming Lives Here redevelopment project will turn a stigmatized institution into an urban village—a health care centre unlike any other in the world, integrating a new model of client care into the fabric of Toronto’s most vibrant neighbourhood. The project will introduce new parks, shops and—most importantly—people into a site that has been cut off from the rest of the city for far too long. Our goal is to erase barriers, reduce stigma and improve care in the context of a civil society. With a new model of care—based on best-practice medicine and respect for clients and their families—in a new environment that decreases stigma, CAMH will continue to expand its role as a centre of health care excellence, transforming the lives of the people and the communities we serve. “The brain is an organ. It can malfunction—like the heart or any other organ—and this can result in mental illness. That is no one’s fault. I look forward to the day when society sees people with mental illness no differently from those with any other medical condition.” Stephen Crawford For more information about CAMH For help or information about mental health or addiction, call CAMH's McLaughlin Information Centre at 1 800 463-6273 or 416 595-6111 in Toronto or mclaughlininformation@camh.net. Visit our website, http://www.camh.net To contact the CAMH switchboard, call 416 535-8501. To donate to CAMH
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Last updated: May 14, 2008 10:49 AM Published: May 15, 2008 9:06 PM ID#P2807 |