Annual Report 2003-2004.pdf - Canadian Mental Health Association

The past twelve months has seen the continuation of a number of recent initiatives
which have strengthened the Windsor-Essex County Branch of the Canadian
Mental Health Association. In one important area, however, the agency has been
frustrated by the lack of action on its proposal to establish a Community Health
Centre (CHC).
Visitors to our Windsor Avenue office will see the ongoing and extensive
renovations which were finally given the green light last year. Once completed, these
improvements will provide badly needed additional space for our dedicated staff
and clients of the Branch. The renovations will ensure Branch clients can receive
services in an appropriate setting.
The continuing delay in receiving approval for the CHC represents one of the
important challenges facing the Board in the coming year. Our proposal would build
upon the primary care initiative which has seen further expansion during
the past year with the hiring of a second nurse practitioner. While we are
grateful for the improvement in health care being provided in the downtown core,
the Board will be working diligently in the coming year to obtain approval for
the CHC, which will provide an important expansion to mental health services in our
community.
The past year has also seen a maturing of our program to provide stable housing
and case management to clients who are homeless or at risk of becoming
homeless. This important program is now fully in place along with a number of other
housing initiatives, all providing clients with important supports which
improve their physical and mental health while respecting and enhancing their
independence.
Recently, the Board of Directors has begun a review of its governance practices and
is working toward development of a new governance model. This model, which
we hope will be in place later this year, will emphasize the critical role of the
Board in providing strategic leadership and vision, while leaving operational
issues in the hands of the Branch management team.
This will be my last report as President of the Board of Directors. I have thoroughly
enjoyed the many challenges of this position during my two year term. I am grateful
to my colleagues of the Board and to the staff of the Agency for their assistance
during this period. Both deserve full credit for our achievements. I believe we can
look forward with anticipation to future challenges, confident we will provide
outstanding service to those clients who have come to depend on the Canadian
Mental Health Association.
Sincerely
William Wrye
President

VALUES:
• Person Centered Approach: We are committed to ensuring
that the needs of the people being served are
at the center of the mental health system.
• Social Justice: We are committed to a basic sense of
fairness, a respect for differences among people,
and believe that every human being deserves an
equal opportunity in life.
• Self Determination: We respect differences among
people and the right of every individual and community
to make informed choices and decisions based on
individual beliefs and community norms.
• Accessibility: We are committed to services being
available to those most in need, ensuring that individuals
will not experience significant difficulties utilizing
them. Services will be flexible and responsive to
individual needs.
• Excellence: We are committed to the highest possible
standards of management and operations to meet the
needs and expectations of the community.
• Creativity: We encourage innovative ideas that are
responsive to changing attitudes and needs in the
community.
• Integrity: We must be true to our mission and values
and dedicated to promoting public trust and a sense
of confidence within the organization.
• Holism: We are committed to a holistic approach to
health services based on the determinants of health.
We recognize that a combination of physical, mental,
emotional and social issues impact on the mental
health of all individuals.
ENDS STATEMENTS:
1. To provide high quality services which build on
natural supports, are confidential and safe and
provide or link individuals to the least intrusive
services to meet their needs.
2. To provide integrated physical and mental health
services to persons with a serious and persistent
mental illness.
3. To identify and strive to eliminate gaps in mental
health services in Windsor and Essex County.
4. To cultivate partnerships with consumers, families and
other service providers locally, regionally, provincially
and nationally in furtherance of our mission.
5. To advocate for change that will enable people with
mental illness to achieve the highest quality of life
possible and to advocate for broader public policies
that promote optimum mental health.
6. To build community awareness of mental health
issues and to educate the community on the impact
of mental illness on individuals, families, friends and
society at large.
7. To position the Canadian Mental Health Association,
Windsor-Essex County Branch as a leader in the
provision of mental health services.
8. To ensure the governance policy process supports
excellence, accountability and strategic planning.

The Province of Ontario has been engaged in a mental
health reform process for over twenty years. This
philosophy is consistent with other health care issues in
that people whose illnesses and conditions do not require
them to be in a hospital or another institution should not
be there.
Successive governments have failed to put into place the
comprehensive and effective community mental health
care system that was promised prior to the planned bed
closures. Over 19 government reports have recommended
funding for mental health services, but since 1992 there
have been no adjustments to base operating budgets.
Often the effects of being labeled mentally ill and the
public reaction are more harmful than the illness itself.
The stigma prevents people from seeking the help they
need and the public to make it a priority in our health care
system.
We will continue to work in collaboration with our
partners to ensure that mental health becomes a priority
in the health system and is treated at least equally
with other health care issues.
The lack of economic increments to base budgets in the
mental health system have impacted on capacity to
provide services by this organization. While we have had
some program expansion, positions have been eroded in
the base budget while we cope with increased demands
from legislation such as pay equity and increased costs.
Additionally, the community was challenged with two
major emergencies this year, the SARS breakout in the
spring and the electrical blackout in August. It put our
emergency protocols to the test and we were pleased
that there were no significant incidents as a result of
either situation. While we cancelled evening groups
and reduced power consumption, we were able to stay
open the week after the blackout to ensure that
the people we serve were adequately supported. We
continue to monitor Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care protocols and to review our systems to ensure the
least disruption in responding to emergencies.
We are fortunate to have staff who have been resilient
and remain enthusiastic and dedicated to our mission
during a period of significant transition and disruption.
Community emergencies, renovations, increased
accountabilities and significant changes in the system are
challenges that they meet while continuing to keep
quality services a priority. The Branch is pleased to provide
a one-year sponsorship for the new entity, Mental Health
Connections which is a merger of the YMCA’s Programmed
Activity for Therapy and Health (PATH) and Consumer
Survivor Alliance of Windsor (CSAW) and wish them
success in their new endeavour.
We also look forward to a collaboration with Hôtel-Dieu
Grace Hospital in the provision of Community Treatment
Order (CTO) services as the case management component
is being divested from the hospital to CMHA.
The Branch was also successful in obtaining approval for
another nurse practitioner and welcome these additional
services for our clients. We have had such success in
providing access to primary care that we are eager to
expand these services and will continue efforts to have
funding approved for the community health centre
proposal.
During the next year we will continue to make advocacy
for mental health a priority while attending to improve our
accountabilities by implementing the Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care requirements for a Ministry
Information System (MIS) and Common Data Set (CDS)
which has a target date of April 1, 2005. Additionally, we
are excited to experience an accreditation process,
which is scheduled for May 2005 with the Canadian
Council on Health Services Accreditation.
The Branch is very fortunate to have a Board which is
providing strong leadership and direction. We look forward
to working with the community in developing a strategic
plan that will define our priorities for strengthening the
mental health services in our community.
Sincerely,
Pamela G. Hines
Chief Executive Officer

2003-2004 was a year of opportunities and enrichment.
CMHA-WECB continues to use a wide variety of specialty
services and mental health supports and was able to
assist over 2000 individuals from their first phone call
through to their last contact.
The Information/Referral Service assisted a growing
number of individuals over the last year, either by telephone
or in person. This service, which is available to the
general public, helped link these individuals to the
appropriate mental health resources in the community.
Intake staff provided assessments and brief support
services for individuals with serious mental illness
requesting one to one support. Assessments continue to
be presented at ACCESS, the centralized point of access
for case management supports in the community.
Specialized supports were delivered to individuals who are
homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, through
Assertive Outreach Services and to individuals involved
in the criminal justice system through the Justice Support
Services team. This vital service has been enhanced with
a new satellite office at the court building.
Discharge/Follow-up staff continue to monitor and
connect with individuals admitted and recently discharged
from local hospital psychiatric units.
The Ombudsperson Service provided individual and
systemic advocacy for those with mental health issues
and continued to provide support/education to
families. Family support is provided through one-to-one
support, monthly groups or through educational series.
Forty participants took part in the two 12-week
”Family to Family” educational series facilitated
by NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) –
certified CMHA-WECB volunteers. Over one hundred
family members accessed support through monthly
Family Network meetings.
For the 444 individuals
involved in Community
Support Services, the
Homelessness Initiative
and the Mental Health
Program for Older Adults, support was provided through a
continuum of case management functions that may
include outreach, assessment, coordination of
resources/services, emotional support, problem-solving,
skill development, medication support, advocacy, family
support, crisis planning and mental health education.
With the aging population growing, the Mental Health
Program for Older Adults team, which consists of
CMHA-WECB staff and Windsor Regional Hospital staff,
provides invaluable assistance to individuals who have
mental health issues and age-related problems.
Community Support Services had the opportunity this year
to receive training in the MAPS/PATH person-centred planning
process. Staff are looking forward to using this
strengths-based, holistic planning tool with individuals to
better assist them in living a more full and satisfying life.
The need for support services in the county continues
to grow and is well addressed by the county service.
This last year has seen a new partnership being built
in the county between CMHA-WECB, The Centre for Mental
Health and Addictions and the Low German-speaking
Mennonite community. Together, this partnership will
identify the needs and create a plan to provide mental
health support to the over 10,000 Low German-speaking
Mennonites in Essex County.
The continued provision of Primary Care Services,
Psychiatry and the newly added Psychological Services
available on-site at the Windsor office location, optimize
and enhance the well-being of clients served through
support and advocacy services.

Supported housing continues to be a dynamic and
necessary component of CMHA-WECB as we strive to
assist people living with serious and persistent mental
illness to achieve optimal health in Windsor and Essex
County.
CMHA owns four housing properties, providing 15 beds in
three detached group homes and 10 beds in a home that
is staffed 24 hours per day.
In the past year we were able to provide case management
and rental subsidies through the Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care’s Homelessness Initiative to 119
households – 117 in one bedroom, non-social housing
apartments and two families. The mandate of this program
is to provide housing to clients who are homeless or are at
imminent risk of becoming homeless and who qualify
for case management services from either CMHA or the
two PACT teams. Priority for housing under this initiative
is given to clients who are discharged from provincial
psychiatric hospitals back to their community of origin.
The Branch operates this program within limits set for
vacancy loss, bad debts and damages and has had
considerable success in helping people break the cycle of
repeated homelessness. We have not yet attended the
Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal, as any issues that have
arisen that could impair continued tenancy have been
mediated with the client and the landlord. Multidisciplinary
case management services are given to clients living in this
program, as well as a rental subsidy, which is given directly
to the landlord. We have been able to provide safe and
affordable housing in the area of the client’s choosing and
have been able to enter into agreements with landlords
who are renting apartments to the Branch at rates
substantially lower than the listed market rental rate.
In 2003, we were able to provide housing to clients
who were discharged from the Residential Treatment
and Rehabilitation Facility (RTF) at our 24 hour home
following their two-year residency period. This allowed
clients the opportunity to further consolidate life-skills
gained at the RTF and promote their path to more
independent living. It also makes the best use of limited
24 hour staffed housing. All clients participating in any of
the Branch’s housing
venues have education
and support regarding
their wellness, medication,
symptom management,
employment or educational opportunities and
knowledge regarding their obligations as a resident
under the Tenant Protection Act.
The Branch’s Vocational Employment Program (VEP)
continued to provide pre-vocational and employment
experiential learning, career planning, job development
and placement services. VEP assisted clients pursue
additional educational opportunities, as well as selfemployment
ventures.
VEP is an intensive six month program that offers one on
one training to people who are living with a serious and
persistent mental illness, and have an interest in securing
employment or volunteer placements, usually in a nonsheltered
working environment. Experiential training is
completed in light maintenance, janitorial services,
food preparation, lawn care and general repair. An
introductory computer course is offered to all clients in the
program and is conducted at the Branch in a small group
setting. Client-centred goal planning is done over the
six-month training period. Clients who complete the
program can access additional support through the Alumni
Group, which is a peer support group that meets monthly
with VEP staff.
Fifty-three percent of those clients who completed the
program secured paid placement and thirty–six percent
were placed in a volunteer setting. VEP served 145 clients
in 2003 and provided services to agencies and employers
who wished to hire or mentor consumers who were
seeking employment. A variety of government grants and
employment programs are also used in the provision of
this service. VEP provided training, volunteer and job placement
services to clients referred to the Branch from Social
Services through our Job Club partnership. The Branch
continues to seek alternative job placements in the private
sector and views employment and volunteerism as vital
elements in optimizing a person‘s wellness.

The Workplace Health Services Program provided
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services to 24
organizations in Windsor and the Tri-county area. In
2003, the WHS program provided clinical counseling
support to almost 2000 clients (61% female, 49% male)
while our 24-hour crisis service assisted 64 individuals in
need of immediate support.
While clinical counseling services are provided to assist with
a large range of issues, the most prominent issues in 2003
were psychological (44%), marital (26%) and family (17%)
with the majority of psychological issues related to
depression (27%), stress (23%) and anxiety (12%).
In September, the
first edition of our new
Wellness Newsletter was
introduced. This is an
electronic (distributed via
e-mail) quarterly newsletter, which is distributed to
organizations and their employees in an effort to provide
health promotion information and prevent illness
through awareness.
As we plan for the year ahead, we are excited about the
new opportunities and services to enhance our existing
EAP package which will allow us to better assist the
organizations we serve in supporting their most valuable
resource… employees and their families.
This past year has seen many changes in the primary care
clinic. Dr. Tamison Doey moved on in her career to
pursue her residency in psychiatry with the Faculty of
Medicine, University of Western Ontario. We were
fortunate to recruit a family physician to consult for
clients rostered with the clinic in September. Our
family physician attends the clinic one afternoon a
week and also provides consultation throughout the
week to the nurse practitioners as needed. Our family
physician also brings a wealth of information in regards
to health promotion, public health initiatives, illness
prevention and chronic pain management. Our staff
psychiatrist continues to provide psychiatric consultation
to clients served by the intensive case management
program of CMHA.
CMHA was successful this year in securing funding for a
second nurse practitioner who joined the team in
December. Our new nurse practitioner brings a
wealth of community nursing as well as acute care
nursing experience to the clinic and is accepting new
referrals and assists in providing the much needed
primary care services for our client base.
The client roster has grown in the past year to over 1500
individuals. The focus of the clinic is to provide physical
and psychiatric care to individuals who experience
severe and persistent mental illness. Family members
are welcome if they have no current primary care provider.
As we continue to accept new clients, the need for a larger
team has become evident. CMHA is currently in the
process of recruiting another family physician and a
psychiatrist.
As a clinical preceptor with the University of Windsor, as
well as a course professor for nurse practitioners with
McMaster University, Bonnie Myslik RN(EC) has brought
10 nurse practitioner students to the agency to expose
them to the positive experience of providing primary
care in a mental health setting. She is also an active course
developer/facilitator for a Mental Health Issues distance
education course for nurses in rural and remote areas
of Ontario and has written a chapter in a new Canadian
community health nursing textbook regarding suicide.
The dream of securing funding for a Community Health
Centre/Family Network remains alive. The proposal,
which was first submitted in 2002, has received favorable
reviews from community members, District Health
Council and local politicians. We continue to be hopeful
that funding will become available to expand the successes
of the primary care clinic in the near future.

CMHA continues to offer services to people who are
experiencing some of life’s difficulties. While many people
cope relatively well with stress and life changes, it is
not unusual for people to need support to get
through these challenges. Without adequate support,
people put themselves at risk for developing more serious
mental health problems. These programs offer exactly
that – services for people in special circumstances, who
may be at high risk for developing more serious mental
health problems.
The Bereavement Program provides education and
consultation to community groups and other service
agencies in addition to support for bereaved individuals.
Staff and peer-led support groups provide assistance to
widows and widowers of all ages, bereaved parents of
infants and older children, those bereaved as a result
of suicide or homicide as well as any other type of
bereavement. The annual candlelight vigils for those
affected by suicide and homicide continue to be well
attended. This year the program served over 400 persons
through direct service in addition to hundreds of others
through public and community group education and
training.
Our Kids‘ Griefworks Program continues to experience
a high demand for service. The program provides a continuum
of support for families,children, professional
caregivers and community organizations in order to
assist children to effectively deal with bereavement
issues. While individual referrals to the program are
primarily the result of a parent or sibling death, 2003
was a year with an unusually high number of
traumatic child deaths impacting hundreds of
children. The program staff were able to provide
immediate consultation and support to the related
school communities, thus preventing the need for more
extensive counseling for affected children.
The Breaking Loose
Program provides individual
assessment as
well as a series of group
educational sessions
aimed at reducing stress and providing tools for
improved coping and communication skills for those unemployed
or “under-employed”. Over the past year,
the program continued to strengthen ties with HRDC
and City Social Services and provided service to over
350 people.
Public Education plays a vital role in the community by
bringing the issue of serious mental health problems
to the forefront and educating people to better
understand mental illness and how to optimize their
mental health and well-being. The program provides
presentations in the community to school groups in
particular, but also works with non-profit societies to raise
their knowledge of prevention of mental health problems.
Public forums during Mental Health Week in May and
Mental Illness Awareness Week in October promote
awareness and focus on providing support and healthy
networks to individuals during these stressful times. In
2003 over 9,600 individuals participated in these events.
The education component of the Mental Health Program
for Older Adults (MHPOA) continues to offer The Caregiver
Stress Series as well as other mental health and age
related presentations to provide individuals, professional
caregivers and the community with education pertaining
to the older adult, as well as information, support and
strategies to deal with caregiver stress. Over 800
individuals participated in these activities this year.

The year 2003 saw many great community events in the area of education,
mental health promotion and Fund Development. On February 2nd, 2003, we
held the 4th Annual NHL All-Star Game Party. The event was a great success and
offered friends of CMHA an opportunity to meet former NHL players while
showing their support for the work of CMHA, Windsor-Essex County Branch.
Due to the generosity of the corporate sponsors and the many friends of
CMHA, over $23,000 was raised in support of our United Way programs.
During Mental Health Week, consumers, volunteers, staff and members of the
community were able to participate in a number of exciting events to
encourage people to simplify their lives in order to reduce stress. We wish to
express our gratitude to Dr. Michael Holosko, Professor of Social Work and
Nursing, University of Windsor who conducted our feature workshop
“The Gift of Simplicity”. In the Spring of 2003, the Agency had the opportunity
to partner with St. Mark‘s By-The-Lake Anglican Church to host a
“Gala Fireworks Evening” at the Cleary International Centre. This was a very
successful initiative and generated $8,500 in new revenue. It was a beautiful
evening which included an exquisite buffet, drinks, entertainment and a
front row seat to the Fireworks. This year, the Royal Bank Charity Golf
committee hosted their Annual Golf Tournament at Beach Grove Golf and
Country Club and donated over $36,000 to the Agency to support our Kids’
Griefworks, Bereavement, Breaking Loose and Public Education Programs.
In addition, we received donations from the Caboto Club “Pasta Nites” and the
St. Jean Baptists Festival at Place Concorde. All of the events of 2003 enabled
us to continue to bring the issue of mental health to the forefront and educate
people on the issues in our continued fight against the stigma surrounding
mental illness.
The Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch would
like to recognize the hard work and valuable contribution to our Agency and the
greater community made by over 173 volunteers in the last year. They
provide essential input through advisory committees, direct support to clients
who are bereaved, unemployed or with a mental illness. CMHA volunteers
provide the backbone of our organization and are an invaluable part of our 30
year history in this community. There were 21 volunteers that provided
direct support to consumers through recreation activities, visiting and
providing a caring relationship.
There is also an important component of the volunteer program that involves
mental health consumers as volunteers in various capacities of the organization
which affords them the opportunity to derive confidence, learn new skills
and give of themselves in a voluntary capacity. In addition to all the volunteers
from outside the Agency, we would like to acknowledge the support of staff
that stepped beyond their roles to support agency-wide initiatives, in
particular, fundraising events. Our thanks to all of you who have shared your
valuable time, talent and good spirit in many volunteer roles in the past year.
You are our heroes!

Audited Financial statements are available.
Auditors: Sovran & Greenaway, Chartered Accountants
In 2003, one employee was paid a salary, as defined in the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act 1996 of
$100,000 or more by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch.

1400 Windsor Ave.
Windsor, Ontario, N8X 3L9
Tel: (519) 255-7440
Fax: (519) 255-7817
www.cmha-wecb.on.ca