Capacity Building

The health care system in Ontario, including the community mental health sector, is undergoing a province-wide transformation. Many organizations, including local branches of the Canadian Mental Health Association, have received significant new funding for service enhancements over the past several years.

CMHA Ontario is helping our sector to manage these changes by ensuring that agencies have the skills and resources they will need to function in a transformed environment. The following projects are designed help strengthen organizational capacity.

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Accreditation Project

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) have formed a partnership to build the capacity necessary to support community mental health and addictions providers going through the accreditation process.

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Building Strong Foundations

CMHA Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs have jointly initiated an organizational capacity building project, funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. A range of tools and resources are available, with additional resources in preparation, to "build strong foundations" for community mental health and addiction services.

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Diabetes and Mental Health Peer Support Training

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario, the Ontario Peer Development Initiative, and the Provincial Consumer/Survivor LHIN Leads Network are collaborating on a two-year project (2010-2012) to provide diabetes competency training for mental health peer support workers.

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Minding Our Bodies

"Minding Our Bodies" is a three-year project (2008-2011) to increase capacity within the community mental health system to promote active living and heathy eating for people with serious mental illness as an essential element for recovery.

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Privacy Toolkit

The "Community Mental Health and Addictions Privacy Toolkit: A Guide to Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act" was developed to support community-based mental health and addiction service providers in meeting the requirements of the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), which came into effect on November 1, 2004. The toolkit was funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Visit www.privacytoolkit.ca.

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Strengthening the Back Office

This document is intended as a resource for community mental health and addiction service providers in Ontario who are contemplating or engaged in voluntary back office integration initiatives. The purpose of this report is to support and promote a culture of continuous quality improvement by sharing good practices within the sector and helping organizations to learn from the experience and work of others. The case studies and collected resources will be particularly relevant to boards of directors and senior management who are leading change in their organization.

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Related Resources

Accountability Supports for Addiction and Mental Health Providers

In December 2003, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) released its Operating Manual for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Services. That manual was written to help transfer payment agencies deliver effective services and to serve as a resource for managers and boards in the day-to-day operation of their programs. At the same time, it specified 90 "Mandatory Requirements" for MOHLTC transfer payment agencies. To help community mental health and addiction programs meet the standards and accountability requirements detailed in the Operating Manual, the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP) developed a complementary policy and procedures manual, Accountability Supports for Addiction and Mental Health Providers.

An additional resource available only to OFCMHAP members is the Ontario Policy Exchange Network (OPEN), an appendix of the Accountability Supports for Addiction and Mental Health Providers document. OPEN contains sample policies contributed by Federation member agencies.

Consumer Participation and Capacity Building

Policy documents and capacity-building resources from CMHA Manitoba Division. Meaningful consumer participation includes involvement in the development, delivery, and evaluation of mental health services, systems, and programs. Capacity building, in this context, refers to the process of assisting mental health consumers to gain the knowledge, skills, supports and resources they require to participate as full and equal members in our society; using their knowledge, skills, and most importantly, their experience to provide valuable ideas, insights and opinions.

Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative

A two-year (2004-2006) national initiative funded by Health Canada's Primary Health Care Transition Fund, the goal of CCMHI was to strengthen relationships and improve collaboration among primary health care professionals, mental health care providers, consumers, families and community organizations.