Common Ground: The Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative

Abstract

Background: As one of 12 participating national health associations, Dietitians of Canada (DC) endorsed the Charter Principles and Commitments created by the Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative (CCMHI). The Chair of the DC Board of Directors signed the Charter, committing DC to work collaboratively to uphold the Principles and actively endorse the Commitments. Achievements: The Initiative's vision, making mental health care work – new places, new partners, new hope, provided the Steering Committee with a clear direction. The CCMHI Charter Principles cover promotion and prevention, a holistic approach, collaboration, partnership, respect, information exchange, and resources. In addition to the Charter, the CCMHI has produced a series of 12 toolkits and research papers. The toolkits are practical pieces that also contain ideas and other information. Dietitians of Canada has developed a toolkit that examines the dietitian's role in primary health care mental health programs. A set of reviews of the practice of collaborative mental health care in Canada covers a wide range of issues, from the attributes of effective collaborative care to a discussion of the barriers to collaboration. Conclusion: Communications between the 12 member organizations are ongoing, and the organizations await the establishment of the Canadian Mental Health Commission, which is expected to be up and running in fall 2006.