Defining the Mental Health and Addictions ‘Basket of Core Services’ to Be Publicly Funded in Ontario

DEFINING THE MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS ‘BASKET OF CORE SERVICES’ TO BE PUBLICLY FUNDED IN ONTARIO 26 JULY 2016 Defining the Mental Health and Addictions ‘Basket of Core Services’ to be Publicly Funded in Ontario The McMaster Health Forum For concerned citizens and influential thinkers and doers, the McMaster Health Forum strives to be a leading hub for improving health outcomes through collecti [...] Understanding the need for change, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care developed a 10-year strategy for mental health and addictions services in the province.(6) Though this strategy has many parts, one of the earlier initiatives involved re-thinking the delivery of community mental health services for children and youth to create a ‘basket of core services.’ The basket, the implemen [...] To work towards this goal, the Ministry convened a Mental Health and Addictions Leadership and Advisory Council that is responsible for recommending the services that should be included in a basket of services and consistently provided to adults across Ontario.(1) Your views will help to inform the Council’s recommendations and assist in improving mental health and addictions services in Ontario. [...] The experience of Ontarians can be broadly thought of in relation to three main groups: • the general population and those at risk of mental health and/or substance use problems; • those with mild to moderate mental health and/or substance use problems; and • those with severe and persistent mental illness and/or addictions. [...] In efforts to facilitate a discussion about the basket of services to be publicly funded in Ontario, we address separately the following three elements: • services for the general population and those at risk of mental health and/or substance use problems; • services for those with mild to moderate mental health and/or substance use problems; and • services for those with severe and persistent men