Transcript Slide 1
Minding Our Bodies
Project Overview
PARC Online Workshop
April 18 and 19, 2011
Minding Our Bodies is…
A provincial mental health promotion program
An initiative of the CMHA Ontario
In partnership with YMCA Ontario, York University Faculty
of Health, Mood Disorders Association of Ontario and the
Nutrition Resource Centre
With support from the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion
through the Communities in Action Fund (2008-2010) and
Healthy Communities Fund (2009-2011)
Purpose
Minding Our Bodies is designed to:
Build capacity within the community mental health system in Ontario to
promote physical activity and healthy eating for people with serious
mental illness to support recovery
Help mental health service providers, together with community partners,
develop and deliver evidence-based programs, improve access to local
resources, and promote social inclusion
Short-Term Objectives
Increased awareness of the relationship between healthy eating and mental
health
Increased awareness of effective strategies for promoting healthy eating and
physical activity among people with serious mental illness
Strengthened partnerships between provincial organizations interested in these
issues
Increased capacity among community mental health agencies to deliver and
evaluate health promotion activities
Increased inter-professional partnerships
Development of a group of trained leaders to promote healthy eating skills with
people with serious mental illness
Longer-Term Objectives
More healthy eating and physical activity programs, improved food security, and
access to physical activity opportunities and healthy eating options for people
with serious mental illness
Greater awareness of association between chronic diseases, healthy lifestyles,
mental health and mental illness throughout the broad mental health field
Development of a common culture across mental health organizations that
incorporates physical activity and healthy eating promotion as core features of
mental health promotion.
Project Deliverables
Environmental scan: perceived barriers, success factors, existing models
Literature review: evidence for decision makers
Online toolkit (www.mindingourbodies.ca): strategies and tools to
help organizations develop effective and realistic programs (fact sheets, links to
resources, documentation of successful programs, evaluation resources and a
video is in the works.)
Six pilot programs (2009-2010)
Community of practice
Project evaluation
Pilot Programs: Lessons
Learned
Barriers: Clothing, transportation, motivation, staff time
Gaps: Evaluation
Creative solutions:
– Community Partnerships
– Social Inclusion
– Shift in organizational culture
– Peer leadership
– Evaluation working group
Community of Practice
Facilitated for program leaders and other allied professionals to:
Stay connected with each other to share experience and growing
expertise to support sustainability of programs
Inspire new programs among pilot organizations and other organizations
Facilitate access to expertise for questions
Platforms:
– E-bulletin, listserv, teleconferences, in-person meetings and forums.
Next steps
Third phase is pending funding approval
Mental Health and Physical Activity Roundtable:
May 5, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
www.mindingourbodies.ca
May 5 - Roundtable Agenda
On the agenda:
Connections, Barriers and Opportunities in Mental Health and Physical Activity — Keynote
by University of Toronto researchers Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos and Paul Gorczynski.
Peer Leaders in Action — A diverse panel of program leaders will share their perspectives
on the importance of including people with lived experience of mental illness in the
planning and delivery of physical activity programs.
Training and Tools — Physical activity champions will present tools and approaches to
encourage movement along the activity continuum.
Program Profiles — A showcase of successful program models that bridge the mental
health and physical activity sectors.
Circuit Café — An interactive cross-sectoral discussion to foster new ideas for overcoming
barriers and bridging accessibility gaps.
Opportunities throughout the day to weave connections for greater partnerships between
physical activity and mental health groups.