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| Whitby Mental Health Centre and Community Partners Awarded for Innovations in Health Promotion | |
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May 24th 2007 2007 Minister's Innovation Award (Whitby, Ontario) May 24, 2007 – This afternoon Whitby Mental Health Centre (WMHC) and community partners proudly accepted the 2007 Minister’s Innovation Award for Innovations in Health Promotion. Awards were received from the Honourable George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care at the Celebrating Innovations in Health Care Expo, a provincial event held in Toronto, Ontario. The award-winning “Stomp Out Stigma” Summits for Students in Durham Region is a collaborative project by community partners involved in the TAMI (Talking About Mental Illness) coalition. Members include: • Whitby Mental Health Centre • The Youth Centre • The Canadian Mental Health Association - Durham Branch • Pinewood Centre of Lakeridge Health • Mood Disorder Association of Durham • Durham District School Board • Durham Catholic District School Board • Durham Mental Health Services • Durham Family Court Clinic • Community Members The purpose of the Summits/TAMI is to bring together community agencies, schools, youth, people with mental illness and other community members to raise awareness programs for secondary school students in Durham Region. The Summits involve day-long gatherings of student ambassadors who are taught about mental illness through a series of presentations by consumers/survivors of mental illness and professionals. These presentations focus on giving the ambassadors the tools necessary to build strong “anti-stigma” teams within their schools. The Summits involve day-long gatherings of student ambassadors who are taught about mental illness through a series of presentations by consumers/survivors of mental illness and professionals. These presentations focus on giving the ambassadors the tools necessary to build strong “anti-stigma” teams within their schools. Sheila Neuburger, Vice-President, Clinical Services at WMHC says, “Whitby Mental Health Centre is proud to have a leading role in this innovative project which presents opportunities to reach out to our adolescents and provide them with information on a very important issue.” The importance of this issue is highlighted by John Dick, Patient Council Facilitator at Whitby Mental Health Centre, spokesperson for TAMI, and consumer/survivor of mental illness. “The message itself is a message of hope. It’s important to encourage students to seek help because they need to know that just because someone has a mental illness, that doesn’t mean that life stops,” he says. |
Bob Heeney, Professional Practice Leader, Child and Youth Worker at Whitby
Mental Health Centre and Chair of the TAMI coalition, explains that the
increasing opportunities to raise awareness are encouraging to the
community, given current statistics on mental health. “We know that 1 in 5
students are struggling with their mental health and that only 20% of these
students actually seek the help they need to overcome their difficulties,”
says Heeney. “The reason why the others do not seek help is due to the
STIGMA associated with mental illness. The TAMI Coalition is committed to
‘Stomp Out Stigma’ and our research is showing that we are accomplishing
this.” Now in its fifth year of operation, the Stomp Out Stigma Summits have reached approximately 4,000 grade 11 and 12 students, averaging one school per week. About WMHC Whitby Mental Health Centre (WMHC) is a public hospital that serves a population of 2.8 million residents and employs 1000 people. WMHC provides a range of specialized mental health programs for inpatients and outpatients throughout a primary service area that includes Durham Region, York Region, Scarborough, Toronto, Haliburton, Northumberland, Peterborough Counties and the City of Kawartha Lakes. WMHC also operates treatment residences in Stouffville and Oshawa; provides specialized community outreach services; and supports residents in privately operated Homes for Special Care. In addition, the Centre is actively involved in mental health research and education activities. About TAMI Durham TAMI Coalition of Durham is a coalition of community agencies, schools, youth, people with mental illness and other community members working together to build awareness, understanding and compassion about mental illness and mental health issues. Established in 2002, the Coalition delivers TAMI programs in the community free of charge. For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact: Jennifer Bastarache, Communications Officer Whitby Mental Health Centre 905-430-4055 ext. 6545 bastarachej@wmhc.ca |