Mental Health and Addictions Research Program Symposium

The Mental Health and Addictions Research Program of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) held a special symposium on March 2 at St. James Cathedral Centre in Toronto. The event saw the launch of the baseline scorecard for child and youth mental health in Ontario which ICES had been tasked with as part of Open Minds, Healthy Minds: Ontario's Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy.

At this symposium, opening remarks by Susan Pigott, Chair of Ontario's Mental Health and Addictions Leadership Advisory Council, set the stage for the half-day program.

Then, the nearly 100 participants and stakeholders heard from government and ICES representatives about:

The Expanded Mental Health and Addictions Strategy that builds on the first phase of the Strategy to improve services and care for Ontarians of all ages who have mental illness and addictions.
- Nancy Kennedy
  Assistant Deputy Minister, Healthy System Strategy and Policy Division, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
- Aryeh Gitterman
  Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy Development and Program Design Division, Ministry of Children and Youth Services
The baseline scorecard for child and youth mental health in Ontario and the MHASEF Research Team's continued work to develop a scorecard for the Expanded Mental Health and Addictions Strategy.
- Astrid Guttmann
  Chief Science Officer, ICES
  Staff Physician and Senior Associate Scientist, Hospital for Sick Children
- Paul Kurdyak
  Director of Health System Research, CAMH
  Mental Health and Addictions Research Program Lead, ICES
Highlights of data integration activities undertaken by ICES.
- Karey Iron
  Director of Data Partnerships and Development, ICES
Highlights of mental health and addictions research that is being undertaken at ICES.
- Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Severity in Ontario
  Maria Chiu, Staff Scientist, ICES
- Frequent Use of Emergency Departments for Mental Health and Addictions
  Karen Urbanoski, Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- Costs of Mental Healthcare Services among High Cost Users in Ontario
  Claire de Oliveira, Independent Scientist and Health Economist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health