2009/10 ANNUAL REPORT - Canadian Mental Health Association

OPTIMISM
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
As I reflect on the past
year as Chief Executive
Officer of the Canadian
Mental Health Association
on the topic of integration. This group is in the process
of developing indicators for integration initiatives and
our branch continues to engage in integration talks
within the Tri-County as well as with other like-minded
Windsor-Essex County agencies right here in Windsor-Essex.
Branch (CMHA-WECB)
I am filled with pride of
the work our dedicated
volunteers and staff do
each day to serve the community of Windsor-Essex.
I am proud to say that CMHA-WECB has already
formed a variety of partnerships in the community
with regards to integration of services and back
office functions. For example, we have partnered
with The House of Sophrosyne in the area of finance
This work is significant in helping create a stigmafree
community with regards to mental illness and
to help those experiencing a mental illness live their
best lives.
Living your best life is not easy. We are presented
with challenges and dilemmas which can often
seem insurmountable but our CMHA-WECB family
rises to the occasion and performs with integrity
and respect.
and facilities management. We have also joined
together with Family Services of Windsor-Essex on a
joint counselling proposal and are in talks with other
agencies to form similar partnerships.
All of these partnerships could not be possible
without the great expertise of our staff, management
and executive management team. I am reminded on
a daily basis how fortunate we are to have such a
diversified and dedicated team who are truly the
leaders in community mental health services. Our
It is the integrity and respect that makes me so staff is truly the best.
proud to lead our organization and represent
CMHA-WECB.
I would be remiss if I did not mention how much
time and effort our Board of Directors, led by
This past year, I represented the agency as part of
the Ontario Minister of Health’s Ministers’ Advisory
Group for Mental Health and Addictions. This group
brings together expertise in the mental health and
addictions field from throughout the province and
examines ways to improve the systems in Ontario
that look after these two areas of health care. I am a
Patricia McMahon, has given to CMHA-WECB over
the past year. This has been a year filled with many
meetings, teleconferences and workshops and our
Board members have volunteered many hours of
their personal time to our mission. Thank you for all
you have done to make this past year a success for
CMHA-WECB.
member of the group’s Early Identification and Early
Intervention Task Force and I presented a draft paper
on this topic in February.
Thank you also to the many volunteers who give
of their time each week at CMHA-WECB to help in
a variety of areas. These volunteers are the life-line
It is enlightening to hear that the new Minster Deb
Matthews has placed mental health and addictions
as a high priority in her portfolio. After so many
of our agency and I applaud them for the example
they set for all of us with regards to community
involvement.
years of being known as the “orphan child of the
health care system”, it now appears that mental
health is becoming recognized as an important area
of overall health and an area that needs increased
As we head into another year, I reiterate my pride
of the CMHA-WECB “family” and I look forward to
leading this agency into another incredible year.
attention.
I also represented CMHA-WECB at a Erie-St. Clair Local
Health Integration Network (LHIN) provincial meeting
Sincerely,
Pamela G. Hines, MSW
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