A Message from
the President and
Executive Director
Canadian Mental Health Association – Calgary Region has been providing community based support for Calgarians with
mental health issues since 1955. While our programs and services have adapted to the society we serve, what has not
changed is our dedication to ensuring the people we serve have access to the highest-quality community based support
for mental health.
A
s
Calgary
grows
and
changes, we have seen an
increased need for mental
health services, resulting in
an increased demand for our community based programs. We also see a
need to explore increased collaboration with other community partners to
provide more services and supports in
partnership.
Mental health affects us all
According to Health Canada, at
least one in five of us will experience
a mental disorder in our lifetime, and
many struggle with mental health every
day. Increasingly we are looking for new
solutions to manage mental health and
CMHA - Calgary is part of the solution.
Client is at the centre
Our 12 core programs with many
sub-programs have continued to be
the focus of our agency. From providing street outreach and stabilization,
to supportive living, to counselling for
families dealing with mental health
issues, our programs serve a broad
client base, and provide an integral part
of the client’s support network, whatever their mental health needs are.
With the addition of Roberts House,
more Calgarians leaving hospital will
have an easier transition into the
community. With the launch of our
Workplace Mental Health program,
employers and employees will receive
more support dealing with mental
health issues in the workplace.
Our Continuing Connections program
has expanded and is now available at
four long-term care facilities in the city.
We know we make an impact – we
see it every day with the clients we
work with, the staff who have immense
passion for their work, and tireless
volunteers who offer their time to our
agency. This year we were able to
launch a new database to ensure we
are keeping track and monitoring our
impact constantly. We also launched
our inaugural public opinion survey
to understand Calgarians’ attitudes
toward their mental health, and we
made the decision to pursue accreditation for our programs.
Collaboration is key
Canadian Mental Health Association
has been a leader in delivering community based mental health services for 58
years. We continue to focus on community partnerships and collaborations to
deliver the most relevant, most effective services to our clients. In 20122013 we partnered with nearly 70 agencies to provide wrap-around care to our
clients.
Thank you to our staff, volunteers,
board of directors, investors, community partners and clients for a year of
making a difference and helping to
provide excellence in service for mental
health.
Barbara Tate, President &
Laureen MacNeil, Executive Director
Annual Report to the Community 2012-2013
3