Letter Crime Bill_jan 2012

Bell Let’s Talk spokesperson and six-time Olympian Clara Hughes kicked-off the national multi-media campaign on Monday, January 16, 2012. Joining Clara as spokespeople for Bell Let’s Talk Day and to help grow the dialogue on mental health this year in Quebec are composer and performer Stefie Shock and actor-comedian Michel Mpambara.

Last year, more than 66 million texts and calls were made on Bell Let’s Talk Day resulting in $3.3 million dollars donated to mental health initiatives across the country. I think this is a strong indication that Canadians care about mental health and want to be part of the national conversation. With your help, we hope to take this conversation to a whole new level.

How you can help support Bell Let’s Talk Day:

1.     Upload the Bell Let’s Talk Day logo to your website – please find it attached to this post

2.     Use your organization’s social media to promote Bell Let’s Talk Day:

·         Facebook – Starting February 1, you can share  a smile with a friend at http://www.facebook.com/BellCanada

·         Twitter – Follow us at @Bell_LetsTalk and retweet on Bell Let’s Talk Day on February 8. For each “retweet” made, Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives across Canada

3.     Bell customers can text or make long distance calls on Bell Let’s Talk Day – for every text message, long distance call and retweet made by Bell customers that day, Bell will contribute 5 cents to programs dedicated to mental health.

4.     Check out resources available on http://www.bell.ca/letstalk

We hope Bell Let’s Talk Day gives your organization new opportunities to share your stories about your programs and services and to increase the volume and frequency of conversation about mental health in communities across the country.

“Ministers also discussed the importance of addressing mental health, an issue that touches all families and the need to integrate services across government departments and agencies to improve mental wellness and illness prevention. Manitoba Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau confirmed that the national Mental Health Summit will be held in February 15-16, 2012 and looks forward to welcoming colleagues from all provinces and territories to work together on improving mental health.”

CAMIMH and CAMIMH members had submitted letters directly to the health ministers prior to the conference requesting that mental health be elevated within the 2014 health accord discussions to appropriately address the burden of illness and greatly  appreciates the health ministers prioritizing mental health in the Halifax meetings as well as the upcoming February discussions.

Read the press release here: http://www.scics.gc.ca/english/conferences.asp?a=viewdocument&id=1629

The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) is proud to announce the 2011 Champions of Mental Health Awards was a great success.

Held in Ottawa on October 5th, during Mental Illness Awareness Week, these prestigious awards are presented to outstanding Canadian individuals, Organizations and Government in recognition of significant contributions in improving services, supports and programs for persons affected by mental illness, their families and caregivers.

This year’s award recipients are;

George Cope
President and CEO, Bell Canada and BCE Inc.
2011 Champions of Mental Health, Private Sector
Mr. Cope is a Canadian telecommunications executive who has served in public-company CEO roles in the industry for more than 15 years prior to joining Bell in 2005. In 2010, Bell Canada pledged to donate $50 million to support mental health and anti-stigma initiatives over the next five years. To date Bell, through the Bell Mental Health initiative, has contributed more than $10 million to mental health organizations and charities across Canada. The Initiative has also raised millions through the 5 cents for each text and LD call made by Bell and Bell Aliant customers on Bell Let’s Talk Day. Through their generous commitment to mental illness and health issues in Canada, Bell Canada and George Cope have helped open the dialogue and reduce stigma.

Hon. Lisa Raitt, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Labour
2011 Champion of Mental Health, Public Sector
Minister Raitt was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008 and was appointed the Minister of Labour in January 2010. As Minister of Labour, she has made many contributions to bettering workplace standards and creating healthy environments for employees and employers. Minister Raitt has worked alongside the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) to help develop a national standard in Canada for psychological health and safety in the workplace. In order to help implement the new standards, the Federal government has pledged $320,000 to the MHCC through a partnership between Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Minister Raitt is committed to creating a workplace that is accommodating for everyone who experiences mental illness.

Dr. Martin Antony
Chair, Department of Psychology, Ryerson University
2011 Champion of Mental Health, Research
Dr. Antony is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology at Ryerson University in Toronto. He is also Director of Research at the Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, Ontario, and past president of the Canadian Psychological Association. Dr. Antony has written many books on mental disorders, treatments and assessment models. He has also published more than 150 scientific articles and book chapters in the area, including cognitive behavior therapy, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, specific phobia, perfectionism, and other related topics. Dr. Antony has served on the Boards of Directors for the Society of Clinical Psychology and the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, and as Program Chair for several mental health organizations across North America. Dr. Antony demonstrates true leadership and a commitment to research and education regarding mental illness.

AMI- Québec
2011 Champion of Mental Health
Community Organization
AMI-Québec is a grassroots organization whose goals are to provide support to help families manage the effects of mental illness through education, guidance and advocacy. They build up communities of people who are supportive and understanding and create an atmosphere that encourages recovery. In order to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, AMI-Québec conducts fundraising projects in their community to bring awareness to the prevalence of mental illness. As part of their goal to help those dealing with mental illness, they offer workshops, programs, suggested readings, round table discussions, and other seminars, which provide valuable information on mental health and related issues to consumers, families, employers and other organizations.

David Granirer
Founder, Stand Up For Mental Health
2011 Champion of Mental Health, Community (Individual)
David Granirer is a counsellor, stand-up comic, speaker, and author of The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead To Happiness and Success. He has taught stand-up comedy to recovering drug addicts and cancer patients, and is the founder of Stand Up For Mental Health, a project teaching stand-up comedy to people with mental illness as a way of building confidence and fighting public stigma. Mental health organizations across Canada and the U.S. bring him in to train their members to do stand-up comedy and perform at events and conferences. His work is featured in the VOICE Award winning CBC Passionate Eye documentary Cracking Up. Through his own battle with depression he discovered the healing power of humour and made it his mission to share it with as many people as possible. David also gives laughter in the workplace presentations to hundreds of organizations across North America, helping them use humour to decrease stress, increase wellness, and cope with change.

CAMIMH wishes to congratulate this year’s recipients and thanks them for their dedication and efforts in improving services and supports for Canadians whose lives are touched by mental illness.

About the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health

Founded in 1998, the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) is the largest coalition in Canada focused on mental illness, mental health, and addictions.

CAMIMH’s membership comprises the major national organizations whose activities span the broad continuum of mental health. They represent consumers and their families, health care and social service providers, professional associations, and community and research organizations. Together, they constitute a vibrant network of national, provincial, and community-based organizations dedicated to serving the mental health needs of the people of Canada from coast to coast.

CAMIMH’s Mission

CAMIMH’s mission is to promote and facilitate the development, adoption, and implementation of a national action plan on mental illness and mental health.  To that end, CAMIMH advocates for increased access and improved quality of services and supports for persons facing mental illness or mental health obstacles, as well as for an increased focus on best practice mental health promotion strategies.

CAMIMH adopts a population health perspective, which includes the full continuum of health determinants that have a demonstrated positive impact on mental health and well being. Mental illness care and recovery, as well as efforts to prevent mental illness and promote mental health, are all part of the continuum of mental health and mental illness.

CAMIMH maintains:

• That the health system must be able to provide access to all people in Canada for their physical and mental health needs.
• That mental health promotion, along with treatment of mental illnesses, disorders, and addictions, as well as their follow up and prevention, are the responsibility of all governments.
• That mental health programs and services must be based on best practices.
• That consumers of mental health services and their families must play an active role in the development and delivery of programs and services.
• That the social determinants of health are essential for mental health.
• That there is no health without mental health.
• That the cultural determinants of health are vital for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
• That mental health affects individuals across the age span.

Current Members Include:

Autism Society of Canada, Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses, Canadian Healthcare Association, Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Mental Health Association, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Canadian Psychological Association, Coalition for Seniors Mental Health, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Mood Disorders Society of Canada, National Network for Mental Health, PSR/RPS Canada, Schizophrenia Society of Canada and  Canadian Association of Social Workers;
Associate Member: Union of Psychiatric Nurses of BC.

Read More Here

Our goal is to end the stigma associated with mental illness, and ensure better understanding and access to diagnosis and treatment.

The MIAW campaign includes:

• Faces of Mental Illness
• Champions of Mental Health Awards

Visit this website and send the candidates in your riding a letter asking them about mental health issues.

It is very important that you take an active role during this campaigning period because those that are elected will shape the future of health care in Canada. The candidates who are chosen to represent you in this election will be the ones responsible for overseeing the Health Accord negotiations that is up for renewal in 2014. The 2004 Accord set out an extra $41.2-billion over 10 years in dedicated funding for health care issues such as reducing wait times, training health professionals, expanding home care and developing a national pharmaceutical strategy. It will be vital to increase awareness of mental health and mental illness issues so that they are fully addressed in upcoming negotiations. We must seize this opportunity to be involved.

Together we can play a key role in advancing the issue of mental health and mental illness by interacting with candidates directly.

Read the Press Release

Read the CAMIMH Commentary