Commitments
It is understood by the signatories that their capacities to make the changes necessary to implement these principles in day-to-day practice vary with their respective roles and mandates. Accordingly, the signatories agree to advocate for, facilitate and/or undertake the following Commitments:
- Advocate (federal, provincial, territorial governments) for the development of pan-Canadian mental health policies and implementation strategies that support the Charter Principles
- Provide leadership and guidance, and encourage practices that support collaborative mental health care
- Advocate for a pan-Canadian education and public awareness campaign to better educate people about mental health and mental illness
- Develop and implement strategies for reducing stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness that can be applied across various settings (e.g., health, community, workplace, school)
- Promote formal inclusion and involvement of consumers, families and caregivers and/or their associations in mental health service planning, policy development and evaluation
- Establish common guidelines for the delivery of mental health services that respect individual differences and the context of culture in mental health and mental illness
- Promote interprofessional education to increase the collaborative skills of consumers and health care providers and to build knowledge about the expertise and potential contributions of other partners
- Promote interprofessional competencies in collaborative mental health care within each health care provider profession through regulatory and accreditation standards
- Work together as health care and consumer associations to inform, advise and support primary health care reform initiatives to include mental health and mental illness
- Continue to work together as health care associations to advocate for, build and sustain the policy, program and resource infrastructure to support collaborative mental health provider education and practice
- Continue to support research, evaluation and the implementation of effective practices in collaborative mental health care
- Continue to work together as health care associations to advise and inform funding bodies about the financial and human resources needed to deliver effective and timely collaborative mental health care
We, the signatories, on behalf of our respective associations, agree to work collaboratively to uphold the Principles and actively endorse the Commitments as written in the Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Charter.
John C. Service, PhD
Chair, Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
Diane Méthot, BSc(OT), OT Reg (Ont), OT(C)
President, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Veronica Marsman, MSW, RSW
President, Canadian Association of Social Workers
Christine Davis, RN, BScN, MEd, CPMHN(C)
President, Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses
Robert Campbell
President, National Board of Directors, Canadian Mental Health Association
Deborah L. Tamlyn, RN, PhD
President, Canadian Nurses Association
George H. Murray, BSc Pharm
President, Canadian Pharmacists Association
A. Donald Milliken, MB, MSHA, FRCPC
President, Canadian Psychiatric Association
Daniel Perlman, PhD
President, Canadian Psychological Association
Helen Bishop MacDonald, MSc, RD, FDC
Chair, Board of Directors, Dietitians of Canada
Anthony Brannen, RPN, BComm, MHSA
President, Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Canada
Louise Nasmith, MDCM, MEd, CCFP, FCFP
President, The College of Family Physicians of Canada
Dated March 2006 |
