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 Centre for Addictionand Mental Health |
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Message from the Chair and PresidentCAMH Annual Report
At CAMH, our mission is to improve the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues, and to promote the health of people in Ontario and beyond.
This year, we have made dramatic progress toward new levels of excellence in our five core areas—care, research, policy, education and health promotion. This was also the historic year when we were granted the long-awaited funding and approval to start redeveloping our Toronto Queen Street site. We have titled this year’s annual report Transforming CAMH, Transforming Lives. It highlights how CAMH makes a difference in people’s lives today, and how our redevelopment plan breaks new ground for the future. Making a difference for people todayCAMH is improving and transforming care. Through our client- and family-centred care initiatives, multidisciplinary treatment plans and focus on diversity, we advance a model of care that is holistic, collaborative and culturally appropriate, and that supports client empowerment and recovery.
Not only are we raising our standards, we are taking standards to the next level. With the recruitment of internationally renowned staff, our award-winning Bill of Client Rights and our highly acclaimed diversity program, we are showing leadership on many fronts. CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health and substance use facility, and one of the largest such facilities in the world. Our work in schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, and substance use is known internationally. While continuing to advance in these fields, we have also made progress on strategic priorities such as concurrent disorders (the presence of both mental health and substance use problems) and early intervention, as well as programs for women, youth and seniors. The impact of our research has continued to grow. With 100 full-time scientists and nearly 300 research staff, CAMH is a leader in neuroscience as well as research in clinical treatments, social policy and health promotion. New discoveries this year—such as the impact of when and how medication is delivered, and connections between genes and nicotine addiction—will translate into innovative treatments for clients with mental health and substance use problems. Through partnership initiatives, CAMH is making a difference locally, nationally and internationally. We were pleased to contribute to the City of Toronto’s Drug Strategy, the province-wide Concurrent Disorders Network, the campaign for a national mental health and addiction policy framework, and a United Nations–led international drug rehabilitation program. Breaking new ground for the futureOn September 9, 2005, the Ontario government announced its investment in the redevelopment of CAMH’s Queen Street site. In 2006, we will start the first phase of the multi-phase project to replace our stigmatized and outdated Queen Street facilities with a new kind of hospital for the 21st century. Since CAMH’s formation in 1998, when our four founding institutions came together—the Addiction Research Foundation, the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, the Queen Street Mental Health Centre and the Donwood Institute—this has been our dream. Finally, we can move forward and create a central CAMH hub that will integrate care, research, policy, education and health promotion, as well as develop needed capacity to work with people with both substance use and mental health problems. You will see in this report that our redevelopment plan is bold, imaginative and forward thinking. The innovative facilities on CAMH’s redeveloped “urban village” site, combined with the most advanced practices in delivering care, will create an environment that enhances recovery and health in a holistic, client-centred way. Many people and organizations have worked with us. We thank clients, families, staff and neighbours, as well as our community, health care and government partners. Together we are transforming CAMH, transforming lives and providing hope to people affected by mental health and substance use problems.
Transforming CAMH, Transforming Lives: 2005-2006 Annual Report to the Community
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Last updated: February 13, 2007 3:12 PM Published: July 24, 2008 9:34 PM ID#28037-R |