Why Support the Mental Health Foundation?
We are the official fundraiser for public addiction and mental health care in Alberta and the only foundation in Alberta with the express purpose of raising funds to improve mental health care.
The Foundation builds better mental health through monetary support. We are not a service provider. Partnering with Addiction and Mental Health, Alberta Health Services, we invest donations from people like you into programs that positively impact how mental health care is delivered and accessed. While CASA offers clinical services to children and youth, and CMHA offers community-based resources for mental health, the Foundation fundraises for programs and services across the mental health system, from mental health programs in the community, to treatment of acute mental illness at various hospital sites.
We are in a unique position to survey the mental health landscape in Alberta and provide the necessary funding to fill gaps. In other words, your donation will have a real impact on local mental health.
When promising new initiatives within Addiction and Mental Health services need support to get off the ground, we provide funds. For example, because of our relationship with Alberta Health Services, we were approached early on to become a partner for a new program, ACCESS Open Minds, which helps youth navigate the mental health system. Our broad mandate made us a natural partner for a community-driven initiative, All in for Youth, that provides children mental services in school, so they don’t have to wait or access help in a clinical setting, which may be a deterrent for children whose parents fear being apprehended.
Our aim is to ignite change in mental health. We know that the individuals in our community will live happier, healthier lives if they have the appropriate support for their mental health, and it is this visionary spirit that ignites change at a high-level.
– Our advocacy and monetary support for rTMS has changed outcomes and service models for individuals being treated for severe depression, thanks to community support. The adoption of a brain stimulation program in Edmonton provided the model for province-wide implementation. Health foundations from other areas of the province have even expressed interest in using our approach to replicate success elsewhere.
– Contributions to the Foundation led to the development of Kickstand, an Alberta-based model of an emerging practice in youth mental health called integrated youth services (IYS). Rather than creating more new services, IYS incentivizes collaboration so that all the health and social services a young person needs can be found in one central location. Kickstand is already gearing up to launch a suite of virtual services on their website, and aims to build 3-5 centres in Alberta’s major urban centres over the next 3 years.