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Envisioning a Canada where mental health is a human right

December 10, 2021 By Communications Leave a Comment

Mental health has never been more top-of-mind in Canada. Perhaps because the need has never been so great.

“It has been 18 months of isolation, stress and uncertainty,” says Margaret Eaton, National CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). “That is why, amid all the turmoil and confusion, we have pushed hard and strong for mental health system transformation—because this is the time to fix the system.”

People in Canada demand good mental health and they need access to effective mental health supports and proactive, everyday strategies that promote and protect mental health and well-being. They need them tailored to meet their unique needs due to trauma, racism and discrimination, unemployment and a host of other social and environmental factors. And they need them now.

CMHA employs over 5,000 people working in 86 branches/regions and divisions with 330 community locations nationwide. When we all pull in the same direction, things move.

As outlined in CMHA’s new Nationwide Strategic Plan, launched in September, we envision a Canada where mental health is a universal human right.

What does that Canada look like?

It looks like a new normal in which mental health is valued and our system actually meets people’s needs.

It looks like a place where people not only have the right to timely mental health treatment, but also to the secure jobs, safe places to live and good relationships that make good mental health possible for every person in Canada.

It looks like a place without trauma, racism and discrimination, all of which contribute to poor mental health.

It looks like a place that allows us to feel well wherever we live, work, learn and play.

“Everyone deserves to feel well,” says Eaton. “Please read our new CMHA Nationwide Strategic Plan and envision a mentally healthy future for Canada. Move forward with us. People across the country shouldn’t have to wait for mental health support any longer. Our time is now.”

 

This article originally appeared on the CMHA National website.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: CMHA mental health strategy, Human Rights Day, mental health for all, mental health human right

Mental Health For All Means Eliminating Racism

June 5, 2020 By Communications Leave a Comment

A Word From Our Executive Director

It’s not an easy time right now. It feels as if our world is turning upside down and we see and experience so much suffering. The increasing unrest that is unfolding in the US, and even closer to home, as a result of the death of George Floyd and too many others has been occupying much of my thoughts. I’m sure yours too. It’s hard to know what to say and how to respond but I am compelled to reach out to you today to speak about the world in which we now live. I feel that to be silent is to be complicit.

At CMHA Kelowna, we believe in “Mental health for all”. That means all people, no matter their age, skin colour, sexual preference, gender, culture or beliefs, deserve good mental health. We are champions of the very things that “eliminate the barriers that can prevent people from thriving.” Injustice and inequality do not eliminate those barriers – they build them up. They are not agents of good mental health. Neither is racism.

It seems unthinkable that in the midst of COVID-19 and the overdose pandemics, we are facing a third pandemic filled with the toxins of intolerance and discrimination. Yet here we are. As an organization, it is our responsibility to stand up against racism, inequality and injustice and we are committed to doing so. Now more than ever we must try to be an ally.

There is so much to be hopeful about because of what change can bring. I encourage every one of us to reflect on our relative privilege and take steps to act with love and compassion.

Join us as we try to be agents of a mentally healthy community. One that stands together with common attitudes, beliefs, and goals so that everyone feels that they belong, that they are not alone, and that they matter. When we stand together in that community, we will feel better about ourselves and the world we’ve helped create.

Together in wellness,

Shelagh Turner
Executive Director, CMHA Kelowna

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, CMHA Kelowna, CMHA Kelowna racism, ending racism, Kelowna racism, mental health for all, racism mental health, Shelagh Turner

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