Partnering Together to Build A Mentally Healthy and Suicide Safer Ottawa: A Public Health Approach Benjamin Leikin, Mental Health Project Officer, Ottawa Public Health Joanne Lowe, Executive Director, Youth Services Bureau Ian Wiseberg, Manager of Services, Crossroads Children Centre November 20, 2012

2 Outline Development of strategy Strategy Overview Key accomplishments Lessons learned Next steps Partners Presentation: YSB and Crossroads Questions

3 8% of Ottawa youth had seriously considered attempting suicide (OSDUHS, 2009). Only 30% of Ottawa youth that rated their mental health as poor had seen a mental health professional in the last year (OSDUHS, 2009). Local Picture of Children and Youth Mental Health at time of Development

4 Only 45% of grade 7 & 8 and 27% of grade students had rated their mental health as excellent (OSDUHS, 2009). The highest rate of emergency room visits for self-harm is among females 15 and 19 years old in Ottawa (OPH Burden of Injury Report, 2010).

5 Working Together  Youth Services Bureau  Crossroads Children Centre  Royal Ottawa Hospital  Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)  Youth Net / Réseau Ado  Max Keeping (CTV)  Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health  Canadian Mental Health Association  Ottawa school boards and schools (both English and French)  Champlain LHIN  Ottawa Distress Centre  Centre for Addition and Mental Health  Children’s Aid Society  Community Health and Resource Centres  Centre Psychosocial  United Way

6 Strategy Development Reviewed policy recommendations, literature and best practices Ontario Health Unit’s Mental Health Environmental Scan Internal Ottawa Public Health Program Consultations Local Partner Consultations

7 Gaps in Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services in Community Coordinated and comprehensive approach to suicide prevention across the spectrum Services for parents of young adolescents Mental health promotion for children and youth

8 Strategy and Priority Actions Children & Youth Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Strategy Community Engagement - Partnerships -Capacity building -Knowledge transfer Parental Engagement -Early ID -Healthy Transitions Tertiary Prevention -Increasing access -Building Suicide safer community

9 Goals Parental Engagement Increase parents/ youth tools to identify early warning signs for mental health issues/suicide Increase child mental health protective factors Reduce risk-taking behaviours in youth Tertiary Prevention Trained, responsive staff Increase access to crisis and mental health support services Increase capacity of youth to seek crisis and mental health services Community Engagement  Coordinated community approach to mental health / suicide prevention  De-stigmatize mental health issues  Raise awareness of determinants of health  Develop/build caring and supportive environments for children and youth

10 Community Engagement Partnerships -Community (Youth) Suicide Prevention Network -Ottawa Suicide Prevention Coalition -Student Support Leadership Initiative Capacity Building -Youth Net Knowledge Transfer -OSDUHS -OPH’s Burden of Injury Report -Physician’s Update

11 OSDUHS Fact sheets

12 Parental Engagement Early Child Health Screening Partnership -OPH Early Child Health PHN’s -Crossroads Children Centre -Centre Psychosocial Healthy Transitions -OPH School Health PHN’s -OPH Youth Facilitators -English/French Public and Catholic School Boards

13 Tertiary Prevention Increasing Access -Fund additional 1 day/week of Youth Services Bureau mental health walk-in clinic Suicide Safer - Provide suicide awareness and mental health promotion workshops for OPH staff, community partners and Ottawa residents

14 Measuring our Impact Reach (parents, caregivers, teachers, youth, children, community partners) Number of sessions; initiatives; policies developed Behaviours, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, intention (pre and post) Skill development Referrals to services made Program Evaluation: Healthy Transitions ; Community (Youth) Suicide Prevention Network initiatives; Training; Programming Reach – number of families and youth seen Number of one-time and multiple visits to clinic by clients Referrals to other services made; services given Youth Service Bureau Walk-in Mental Health Clinic Demographics, determinants of health Youth self-reported mental health, stress, depression, suicidal thoughts and attempts, body image, bullying, mental health visits, other health behaviours Self-harm ER visits Attitudes and behaviours, mental fitness and well-being Surveillance: Ontario Drug Use and Health Survey, hospital data, screening

15 Key Accomplishments Implementing Healthy Transitions Beginning Early Child Health Screening Partnership Increasing Access to Services Building suicide safer community Transferring knowledge

16 Lessons learned REB challenges Partnerships key to success Stigma still a roadblock Public Health has role in mental health promotion and suicide prevention

17 Next steps Build on success Continue monitoring trends Continue translating knowledge into practice

18 Partner Presentations Crossroad’s Children Centre

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20 Partner Presentation Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa

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22 Questions?

23 Thank You!!!