Forward Action in Mental Health ______________________________ Calgarians’ advocating for the mental health community Hear more of the story at:

Forward Action in Mental Health Who is FAiMH? What is FAiMH striving for? What has FAiMH accomplished? What is FAiMH asking for? Where to find more information about FAiMH? Questions???

Who is FAiMH? Forward Action in Mental Health A group of Calgarians with lived experience An action advocacy group which has met bi-monthly for two years Independent of all other organizations and governments

What is FAiMH striving for? Using our collective voice to address mental/emotional health needs in the community Increasing our knowledge and advocacy skills through gathering, sharing and processing current events Proactively implementing our solutions to “fix the broken Alberta Health Care System”

What has FAiMH Accomplished? Over the past two years we have: Met bi-monthly to develop our collaborative voice and define what we want to achieve Hosted Alberta Ombudsman Peter Hourihan and met with former opposition leader and Health Critic Dr. David Swann Crafted a letter to the Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman Engaged in the provincial election through the development of key message postcards

FAiMH is Advocating for: 1.Improved Access to Mental Health Services 2. Person Centered Care 3. Improved Quality 4. Prevention as the Priority

Improved Access to Mental Health Services: Local services Extended hours of community services More affordable and available counselling A simpler mental health system FAiMH is Advocating for:

Person Centered Care Peer involvement and leadership Control over and choice of services Compassionate, client led services Emphasis on patient rights, including the ability to say the ability to say no “Nothing About Us, Without Us!”

Improved Quality Staff training Safe places Trust in people encountered Kindness

Reduced burden on crisis services Invest in prevention Prevention as the Priority

Let’s Empower our Community! Together we can fight stigma and take an active role in making services and our community better. We meet the First and Third Wed 6:30-8pm at the Downtown Central Library Check us out Contact or

Forward Action in Mental Health __________________________________________ Calgarians advocating for the mental Health Community 90 out of 100 Albertans visit a family doctor in the 3 months before attempting suicide There are over 121 AHS mental health and addiction services in Calgary with many more provided by non-profits and private companies “ I went to my family doctor and was never referred to a mental health program. It took me three years to find the right place for me” FAiMH Group Member A simpler mental health system Hear more of the story at:

Forward Action in Mental Health _____________________________________________ Calgarians advocating for the mental health community Counselling is the largest unmet need of mental health services in Alberta with private sessions at $185 an hour The majority of community mental health services in Alberta operate only Mon to Fri, 8am-4pm "If you want to get help fast you have to pay for services, I couldn’t afford them so now I’m on a waitlist, I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait” FAiMH Group Member Affordable mental health services Hear more of the story at:

Forward Action in Mental Health _____________________________________________ Calgarians advocating for the mental Health community “ I don’t want to have to go to the hospital when I need help with my mental health. I want to be with my friends/family and community” FAiMH Group Member Only 0.1% of the AHS Mental Health and Addiction budget is spent on prevention 0.1% Services are focused on a reactive, acute-care model that requires Albertans to seek care at physician offices and specialty clinics Deliver the services in the community Hear more of the story at:

Forward Action in Mental Health _____________________________________________ Calgarians advocating for the mental health community 65,000 Calgarians mental health would benefit positively from life skills training and support A team where everyone has the power to make decisions, where the client is at the centre is the most effective way to support People in their recovery. “ I want the power to choose the services and specialists that work best for me…Why can’t mental health patients have that guarantee?” FAiMH Group Member Let the client lead the service Hear more of the story at:

Questions?

References T.Cameron Wild “Gap Analysis of Public Mental Health and Addictions Programs “(GAP MAP) Final Report February 2014