Alberta Alliance for Mental Health Unveils New Name And New Logo as Part of Organizational Rebirth

Alberta’s largest mental health advocacy and lobbying group has unveiled a new name and a new logo as part of a campaign to refresh its image and expand its reach across the province.

The Alberta Alliance for Mental Health – formerly known as the Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness & Mental Health – announced the rebranding moves following a stakeholder dialogue, ongoing membership discussion and a recent day-long Board strategy session.

The organization, now in its 20^th year, has been working hard to rebuild its image and re-energize its members after securing a new three-year funding agreement and appointing Lee Hall as its new Executive Director earlier this year.

“The past 12 months has been a really exciting period for us as we’ve redoubled our efforts to ensure the Alliance remains Alberta’s most powerful and effective voice in advocating for mental health,” says Hall.

“Our vision is to improve addictions and mental health care and outcomes by engaging our stakeholders, and by identifying meaningful, evidence-based opportunities for transformational change.”

Lee Hall

The Alliance, formed in 1999, represents 17 professional and nonprofit organizations across the province dedicated to improving mental health and addictions care, support and outcomes for all Albertans.

Alliance members include the Alberta College of Social Workers; the Alberta Psychiatric Association; the University of Alberta Department of Psychiatry; CASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health; the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta; and the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association, among many others.

The Alliance embarked on a major revitalization effort over the last year, identifying four new strategic priorities including: advocacy through engagement; collaboration and consultation; and communication and organizational excellence.

“We see the Alliance as a trusted connector and knowledgeable advocate for mental health, drawing on the expertise of our members in order to

advocate for robust, people-informed mental health policy and programs in our growing province,” says Hall.

Dr. Xin-Min Li, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta, applauds the Alliance’s renewed efforts to promote better mental health and addictions services.

“We’re extremely excited to be a member of the Alberta Alliance for Mental Health. The work they’re doing is vitally important to the promotion of mental health in Alberta, and with this new rebranding we believe the Alliance can serve as an even more effective voice for its members and for the millions of Albertans they serve.”

Although the Alliance has traditionally been more Edmonton-focused, it is working hard to expand its organizational footprint province-wide.

At its 2018 Annual General Meeting the Alliance elected a new executive slate, with representatives from Red Deer and Calgary in key senior roles. Membership bylaws were also revised to enable the group to capitalize on a broader range of expertise from across the province.

Hall, who previously worked as a surveyor and educator for nearly two decades with Accreditation Canada, overseeing large and small-scale evaluations of health systems, public and mental health services and community organizations, says the Alliance is also working on plans for an inaugural family-focused conference on mental health.

“We’re working closely with FAMI-Alberta and the University of Alberta to pull together a conference this spring, so we’re really excited about that. The first conference will be in Edmonton and we’re hoping it will become an annual event with a provincial focus.”

FAMI-Alberta (Families supporting Adults with Mental Illness in Alberta) is a grassroots group that supports family members who are dealing with serious mental health conditions, such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

“The Alliance is determined to strengthen the voices of mental health communities, clients and families, while we engage with Alberta Health and other key partners to ensure that mental health and addictions issues are at the top of the province’s health and social agendas,” says Hall.

“We look forward to being an active partner with Alberta Health’s new Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Council in helping to shape our collective future.”