Minding Our Bodies Project Overview

PARC Online WorkshopApril 18 and 19, 2011

Minding Our Bodies is…

A provincial mental health promotion program

An initiative of the CMHA Ontario

In partnership with YMCA Ontario, York University

Faculty of Health, Mood Disorders Association of

Ontario and the Nutrition Resource Centre

With support from the Ontario Ministry of Health

Promotion through the Communities in Action Fund

(2008-2010) and Healthy Communities Fund (2009-

2011)

Purpose

Minding Our Bodies is designed to:

Build capacity within the community mental health system in

Ontario to promote physical activity and healthy eating for

people with serious mental illness to support recovery

Help mental health service providers, together with community

partners, develop and deliver evidence-based programs,

improve access to local resources, and promote social inclusion

Short-Term Objectives

Increased awareness of the relationship between healthy eating and

mental health

Increased awareness of effective strategies for promoting healthy

eating and physical activity among people with serious mental illness

Strengthened partnerships between provincial organizations

interested in these issues

Increased capacity among community mental health agencies to

deliver and evaluate health promotion activities

Increased inter-professional partnerships

Development of a group of trained leaders to promote healthy eating

skills with people with serious mental illness

Longer-Term Objectives

More healthy eating and physical activity programs, improved food

security, and access to physical activity opportunities and healthy

eating options for people with serious mental illness

Greater awareness of association between chronic diseases, healthy

lifestyles, mental health and mental illness throughout the broad

mental health field

Development of a common culture across mental health organizations

that incorporates physical activity and healthy eating promotion as

core features of mental health promotion.

Project Deliverables

Environmental scan: perceived barriers, success factors, existing

models

Literature review: evidence for decision makers

Online toolkit (www.mindingourbodies.ca): strategies and tools

to help organizations develop effective and realistic programs (fact sheets,

links to resources, documentation of successful programs, evaluation

resources and a video is in the works.)

Six pilot programs (2009-2010)

Community of practice

Project evaluation

Pilot Programs: Lessons Learned

Barriers: Clothing, transportation, motivation, staff time

Gaps: Evaluation

Creative solutions:

– Community Partnerships

– Social Inclusion

– Shift in organizational culture

– Peer leadership

– Evaluation working group

Community of Practice

Facilitated for program leaders and other allied professionals to:

Stay connected with each other to share experience and

growing expertise to support sustainability of programs

Inspire new programs among pilot organizations and other

organizations

Facilitate access to expertise for questions

Platforms:

– E-bulletin, listserv, teleconferences, in-person meetings and

forums.

Next steps

Third phase is pending funding approval

Mental Health and Physical Activity Roundtable:

May 5, 2011

Toronto, Ontario

www.mindingourbodies.ca

May 5 - Roundtable Agenda

On the agenda:

Connections, Barriers and Opportunities in Mental Health and Physical Activity — Keynote

by University of Toronto researchers Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos and Paul Gorczynski.

Peer Leaders in Action — A diverse panel of program leaders will share their perspectives on

the importance of including people with lived experience of mental illness in the planning

and delivery of physical activity programs.

Training and Tools — Physical activity champions will present tools and approaches to

encourage movement along the activity continuum.

Program Profiles — A showcase of successful program models that bridge the mental health

and physical activity sectors.

Circuit Café — An interactive cross-sectoral discussion to foster new ideas for overcoming

barriers and bridging accessibility gaps.

Opportunities throughout the day to weave connections for greater partnerships between

physical activity and mental health groups.