Message from the Chair and President: An integrated approach to transforming lives

Annual Report to the Community 2006 - 2007

On this page:

Serving clients better
Advancing public policy
Building partnerships
Strategic Plan and Queen Street redevelopment
Success driven by people

Transforming Lives is much more than a slogan to us at CAMH. It is our promise, as Canada’s leading mental health and addiction facility, to play a leading role in the evolution of our health care system and to help build more inclusive communities around us.

Dr. Paul Garfinkel, CAMH President and CEO, and Paul Beeston, Chair, CAMH Board of Trustees

This year’s annual report demonstrates the steps we are taking to transform lives—in our communities, across Ontario and internationally. We couldn’t take these steps alone, however. That’s why we have chosen to focus on integration and connection in this year’s report. So much of what we do now, and what we aspire to do in the future, depends on our ability to better define the role of CAMH in the overall health care system. It depends on our ability to better co-ordinate and integrate our own core areas—care, research, education, policy, and health promotion and prevention. And it depends upon stronger connections with our community partners.

We have achieved tremendous results, and yet in many ways our work is just getting started.

Serving clients better

Improving service is always our ultimate objective. New research discoveries allow us to pioneer new treatment in areas such as geriatric depression, nicotine dependence and first-episode psychosis. By integrating mental health and addiction treatment, we better serve the 40% of our clients who have concurrent disorders (both mental illness and addiction). By integrating the social determinants of health—jobs, housing, income, and social or family relationships—as a fundamental component of care planning, we increase rates of client recovery and improve clients’ quality of life. And finally, by integrating clients and their families into all aspects of treatment and recovery, we build on their strengths and expertise, and empower them as individuals.

Advancing public policy

This year we applauded the federal government’s creation of a national mental health commission—the result of years of advocacy. The commission will spearhead a new Canadian mental health strategy. We look forward to working with commission chair Michael Kirby, whose passion and commitment will ensure that this long-awaited body makes a real difference.

We also helped advance mental health and addiction issues on the provincial health care agenda. As a result, 12 of Ontario’s 14 new Local Health Integration Networks (LHINS) made mental health and addiction a priority. This is a remarkable achievement that acknowledges the needs of clients and the importance of the programs we offer. It is a testament to the powerful work done by our sector in highlighting the issues.

Building partnerships

Partnerships are fundamental to building an integrated continuum of services to meet clients’ diverse needs. This year, we developed innovative partnerships to serve youth, seniors and marginalized communities. We increased specialized services and built the capacity of front-line staff to address mental health and addiction needs in local communities.

Our education and health promotion partnerships ranged from training bar staff in how to keep patrons safe, to conducting community forums on mental health and addiction issues in languages such as Farsi. We provided training, e-learning and public information materials, and helped advance best practices locally, provincially, nationally and in some 20 countries around the world.

Strategic Plan and Queen Street site redevelopment

This year marked a solid start in the implementation of our blueprint for change through integration. CAMH’s three-year Strategic Plan was developed with clients, families and staff, along with partners in the community, hospital and academic sectors. It is an excellent framework for change, and a blueprint for integration to better serve people who are challenged by mental health and addiction issues.

One of the most exciting events this year was the groundbreaking for the first phase of our new Queen Street site redevelopment. Construction is underway, and we are finally replacing our outdated and isolated hospital campus with a facility that reflects dramatic advances in understanding and treating people with mental health and addiction problems. The new facility will integrate CAMH into the neighbourhood and create a positive healing environment for our clients. It will bring together care, research, education, policy and health promotion in one location, allowing us to make new discoveries and improve treatment and quality of life for clients.

Success driven by people

Our achievements this year resulted from the efforts of many people—clients, families, staff, volunteers, donors, neighbours, and our community and health care partners. These people worked together, like never before, as an integrated whole. We thank everyone for their passion, their support, their courage and their wisdom. Our successes and innovations have strengthened CAMH’s position as a global centre of excellence and brought significant strides in transforming the lives of people with mental health and addiction problems.

Making Connections: Integration in Mental Health and Addiction