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
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Increased inter-professional partnerships
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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.
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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.
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Training and Tools — Physical activity champions will present tools and approaches to
encourage movement along the activity continuum.
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Program Profiles — A showcase of successful program models that bridge the mental
health and physical activity sectors.
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Circuit Café — An interactive cross-sectoral discussion to foster new ideas for overcoming
barriers and bridging accessibility gaps.
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Opportunities throughout the day to weave connections for greater partnerships between
physical activity and mental health groups.