Investing in coordinated mental health, substance use and addictions care

We’re pleased to share that we’ve awarded two impact grants to advance mental health, substance use and addictions care for young people and families in Ontario.

Young people don’t just have the highest rates of substance use disorders (also known as addiction), they also have the highest rates of concurrent mental health and substance use challenges. The need for coordinated mental health and substance use health services for young people is growing, but high-quality, integrated care can be hard to find and access.

Last fall, we and our partners at Mental Health Research Canada asked our sector what they could do with up to $100,000 to address this issue. Our grant recipients were selected through careful consideration by our peer review committee, which consisted of lead agency representatives, academics, young people and family members). Congratulations to our recipients:

• Cyndy Dearden, Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo and The Grove Wellington Guelph, working with Dr. Jean Costello, University of Waterloo and Homewood Research Institute
• Dr. Tina Benevides,TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca (Hands), working with Dr. Andrew Weeks, Nipissing University

Learn about our impact grants and the recipients’ projects.