It's a new beginning for the Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness & Mental Health (AAMIMH), which marks its 20th anniversary in 2019 as the province's largest mental health advocacy organization.
After completing an extensive organizational review last spring, the 18-member Alliance has unveiled a new strategic plan and a new Interim Executive Director.
Now, the reenergized organization - which represents a broad cross-section of professional associations, nonprofit service providers, academic programs and other partner organizations - is redoubling its efforts to solidify its role as a powerful voice for change in Alberta's addictions and mental health system.
"We took a hard look at what the Alliance does really well, what we could improve on and where we needed to go from here to set the stage for future success," says Lee Hall, the Alliance's new Interim Executive Director and a former Provincial Program Director for the Alberta Government's Primary Care Initiative.
As part of that rigorous process, Hall interviewed virtually all individual and organizational members of the Alliance - including professional associations like the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta, the Alberta College of Social Workers and the Psychologists' Association of Alberta - as well as mental health advocacy groups like the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta and other provincial partners for mental health and addictions.
Hall, who served as a surveyor and educator for Accreditation Canada for 18 years, where she completed large and small-scale evaluations of health systems, public health services and community partners, also met with officials at Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services before presenting the new strategic plan to the Alliance Council in May.
"Our members felt the Alliance had to a degree lost its momentum over the years, and from all the interviews I did there was clearly a consensus that we needed to reenergize, revitalize and rebuild. Now that our new strategic plan has been endorsed by our members, that's what we plan to do," she says.
Dr. Judi Malone, the Alliance's newly appointed Chair and the CEO of the Psychologists' Association of Alberta, shares Hall's upbeat outlook for the Alliance, which was founded in 1999.
"I think our new focus is really exciting. We now have a united voice and we're really focused on coming up with solutions. What we had been doing in recent years was pointing out problems, but that doesn't get you anywhere if you are in any type of advocacy role," she says.
"If you want to impact change on policy, on systems or on governance, you need to come up with solutions, not simply complain about problems. Since the Alliance reflects such a wide range of views - including mental health professionals, service providers and consumers - we're uniquely positioned to offer credible solutions on policy, governance or leadership. That's really our new focus and the direction we're going in now."
Under its new plan, the Alliance has identified four strategic priority areas to focus on. The priorities, briefly explained, include:
• Advocacy through engagement: Our strength lies in the collective expertise, knowledge and passion of our members, partners, clients and families. A strong shared voice ensures mental health and addictions are a provincial priority.
• Collaboration/Consultation: Working collaboratively with current and new partners we strive to identify and effect improvements in the addictions and mental health system for Albertans.
• Communication: Effective communication ensures our collective voices are recognized and have impact, as provincial systems and services are improved.
• Organizational Excellence: As a strong and effective hub, representing provincial mental health and addictions, we create the needed foundation for a strong and effective provincial mental health and addictions system.
"As we move forward, I think we have to increase our credibility, leadership and our reputation around the province, so we are seen and recognized as the hub of expertise for mental health and addictions, from research to service providers to nonprofit advocacy organizations," says Hall.
"Our member organizations really comprise the collective expertise and wisdom of mental health and addictions in Alberta. When the province is trying to create new mental health infrastructure or move forward with new policies, and they need to understand where the mental health and addictions community sits on an issue, we need to ensure that we are viewed as a key go-to source of expertise."
One specific client engagement initiative that Hall expects the Alliance to launch over the coming year is a new Voices Committee.
"Besides our many professional associations and other organizations, the Alliance has a category for individual members. Typically, these are people who have special interest and experience with mental illness and addictions or who serve as caregivers. As the bylaws of the Alliance currently stand, they can come for lunch and network but they don't actually have a vote in decision making at the table," Hall explains.
"What we are exploring in the new plan is something called a Voices Committee. It will be our individual members, coming together as a unique committee, so we can better understand client and family needs in order to provide strong advocacy. They would collectively have one voice at the table and be a key part of the Alliance's decision-making process," she explains.
"The Voices Committee will have an instrumental role in planning and assisting in conducting focus groups, public awareness activities and other events to ensure the voice and perspective of clients and families is considered in our advocacy and decision-making process."
As hot-button issues like medical assistance in dying, or the impact of cannabis use continue to evolve, Dr. Malone notes, the Alliance also aims to play an increasingly influential role in helping to shape related public policy.
"We're seeing a real reinvigoration and reconnection with our key stakeholders and partners in the Alliance, so this is an exciting time for us to walk our talk. Change begets change, so if we want things to happen we now have the potential to help make it happen. It just really takes a concerted effort," says Dr. Malone.
"Besides Lee Hall as our new Interim Executive Director, we also have an extremely active Executive Committee and Council. We've all had to invest a lot of extra time on this over the past few months but we're all very committed to making the Alliance a real force for public good."
In addition to Dr. Malone, the other members of the Alliance Executive Council include:
• Past Chair: Dr. Denise Milne, CEO of CASA, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health
• Vice Chair: Rubyann Rice, Executive Director, Schizophrenia Society of Alberta
• Treasurer: Marlene Morin, Executive Director, Alberta Students' Executive Council
• Secretary: Carmela Hutchison, former President, Alberta Network for Mental Health
"We have a very diverse range of professionals on both the Executive Council and the Council, with providers of services like Dr. Denise Milne from CASA, as well as consumer representatives like Rubyann Rice from the Schizophrenia Society. Moving forward, we want to be able to speak with a very clear voice for clients and their families as well as mental health professionals," says Dr. Malone.
"Sometimes the views of our 18 member organizations are not always going to align, but they will make up that tapestry or richness of experience that is needed to find viable potential solutions. I may be a bit Polyanna-ish on this, but if we properly sourced and funded mental health treatment, and if it wasn't the poor sister of physical health, we would at least put a dent in some of the bigger societal issues like homelessness," she adds.
"So I'm excited about the Alliance's new direction. These are exciting times if you want to feel like you're contributing to something that may really make a difference in peoples' lives. After all, that's why we work in this field."
Says Hall: "The Alliance's plan to revitalize, refocus and reenergize with stronger linkages to partners, clients and families will pave the way for improved mental health and addictions care for our Albertans."
After completing an extensive organizational review last spring, the 18-member Alliance has unveiled a new strategic plan and a new Interim Executive Director.
Now, the reenergized organization - which represents a broad cross-section of professional associations, nonprofit service providers, academic programs and other partner organizations - is redoubling its efforts to solidify its role as a powerful voice for change in Alberta's addictions and mental health system.
"We took a hard look at what the Alliance does really well, what we could improve on and where we needed to go from here to set the stage for future success," says Lee Hall, the Alliance's new Interim Executive Director and a former Provincial Program Director for the Alberta Government's Primary Care Initiative.
As part of that rigorous process, Hall interviewed virtually all individual and organizational members of the Alliance - including professional associations like the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta, the Alberta College of Social Workers and the Psychologists' Association of Alberta - as well as mental health advocacy groups like the Schizophrenia Society of Alberta and other provincial partners for mental health and addictions.
Hall, who served as a surveyor and educator for Accreditation Canada for 18 years, where she completed large and small-scale evaluations of health systems, public health services and community partners, also met with officials at Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services before presenting the new strategic plan to the Alliance Council in May.
"Our members felt the Alliance had to a degree lost its momentum over the years, and from all the interviews I did there was clearly a consensus that we needed to reenergize, revitalize and rebuild. Now that our new strategic plan has been endorsed by our members, that's what we plan to do," she says.
Dr. Judi Malone, the Alliance's newly appointed Chair and the CEO of the Psychologists' Association of Alberta, shares Hall's upbeat outlook for the Alliance, which was founded in 1999.
"I think our new focus is really exciting. We now have a united voice and we're really focused on coming up with solutions. What we had been doing in recent years was pointing out problems, but that doesn't get you anywhere if you are in any type of advocacy role," she says.
"If you want to impact change on policy, on systems or on governance, you need to come up with solutions, not simply complain about problems. Since the Alliance reflects such a wide range of views - including mental health professionals, service providers and consumers - we're uniquely positioned to offer credible solutions on policy, governance or leadership. That's really our new focus and the direction we're going in now."
Under its new plan, the Alliance has identified four strategic priority areas to focus on. The priorities, briefly explained, include:
• Advocacy through engagement: Our strength lies in the collective expertise, knowledge and passion of our members, partners, clients and families. A strong shared voice ensures mental health and addictions are a provincial priority.
• Collaboration/Consultation: Working collaboratively with current and new partners we strive to identify and effect improvements in the addictions and mental health system for Albertans.
• Communication: Effective communication ensures our collective voices are recognized and have impact, as provincial systems and services are improved.
• Organizational Excellence: As a strong and effective hub, representing provincial mental health and addictions, we create the needed foundation for a strong and effective provincial mental health and addictions system.
"As we move forward, I think we have to increase our credibility, leadership and our reputation around the province, so we are seen and recognized as the hub of expertise for mental health and addictions, from research to service providers to nonprofit advocacy organizations," says Hall.
"Our member organizations really comprise the collective expertise and wisdom of mental health and addictions in Alberta. When the province is trying to create new mental health infrastructure or move forward with new policies, and they need to understand where the mental health and addictions community sits on an issue, we need to ensure that we are viewed as a key go-to source of expertise."
One specific client engagement initiative that Hall expects the Alliance to launch over the coming year is a new Voices Committee.
"Besides our many professional associations and other organizations, the Alliance has a category for individual members. Typically, these are people who have special interest and experience with mental illness and addictions or who serve as caregivers. As the bylaws of the Alliance currently stand, they can come for lunch and network but they don't actually have a vote in decision making at the table," Hall explains.
"What we are exploring in the new plan is something called a Voices Committee. It will be our individual members, coming together as a unique committee, so we can better understand client and family needs in order to provide strong advocacy. They would collectively have one voice at the table and be a key part of the Alliance's decision-making process," she explains.
"The Voices Committee will have an instrumental role in planning and assisting in conducting focus groups, public awareness activities and other events to ensure the voice and perspective of clients and families is considered in our advocacy and decision-making process."
As hot-button issues like medical assistance in dying, or the impact of cannabis use continue to evolve, Dr. Malone notes, the Alliance also aims to play an increasingly influential role in helping to shape related public policy.
"We're seeing a real reinvigoration and reconnection with our key stakeholders and partners in the Alliance, so this is an exciting time for us to walk our talk. Change begets change, so if we want things to happen we now have the potential to help make it happen. It just really takes a concerted effort," says Dr. Malone.
"Besides Lee Hall as our new Interim Executive Director, we also have an extremely active Executive Committee and Council. We've all had to invest a lot of extra time on this over the past few months but we're all very committed to making the Alliance a real force for public good."
In addition to Dr. Malone, the other members of the Alliance Executive Council include:
• Past Chair: Dr. Denise Milne, CEO of CASA, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health
• Vice Chair: Rubyann Rice, Executive Director, Schizophrenia Society of Alberta
• Treasurer: Marlene Morin, Executive Director, Alberta Students' Executive Council
• Secretary: Carmela Hutchison, former President, Alberta Network for Mental Health
"We have a very diverse range of professionals on both the Executive Council and the Council, with providers of services like Dr. Denise Milne from CASA, as well as consumer representatives like Rubyann Rice from the Schizophrenia Society. Moving forward, we want to be able to speak with a very clear voice for clients and their families as well as mental health professionals," says Dr. Malone.
"Sometimes the views of our 18 member organizations are not always going to align, but they will make up that tapestry or richness of experience that is needed to find viable potential solutions. I may be a bit Polyanna-ish on this, but if we properly sourced and funded mental health treatment, and if it wasn't the poor sister of physical health, we would at least put a dent in some of the bigger societal issues like homelessness," she adds.
"So I'm excited about the Alliance's new direction. These are exciting times if you want to feel like you're contributing to something that may really make a difference in peoples' lives. After all, that's why we work in this field."
Says Hall: "The Alliance's plan to revitalize, refocus and reenergize with stronger linkages to partners, clients and families will pave the way for improved mental health and addictions care for our Albertans."