Agenda

Canada’s mental health and addictions system is made up of highly committed organizations and providers, yet patients and families can still experience care as a series of disconnected services. Hospitals, primary care, community organizations, addictions services, crisis supports and social services often operate within different structures, creating gaps in access and continuity.

In this leadership session, Dr. Nadiya Sunderji will explore what it takes to move from fragmented services toward a truly connected mental health and addictions system. Drawing on her experience in clinical care, collaborative care, health-system transformation and organizational leadership, she will examine how leaders can build stronger partnerships, establish clearer pathways and shared accountability, and move beyond organization-by-organization solutions toward coordinated models of care that better meet the needs of patients, families and communities.

Key Session Takeaways Include:

• Explore how healthcare leaders can break down organizational and sector boundaries between hospitals, primary care, community mental health, addictions and other supports
• Examine the role of shared accountability, common standards and clearer care pathways in improving access, quality and continuity
• Identify how leaders can move from successful individual programs and partnerships toward sustainable system-level transformation
• Consider what leadership, policy and collaboration are required to deliver the right mental health and addictions care, in the right place, at the right time

Demand for mental health and substance use health services continues to grow while health systems contend with workforce shortages, emergency department pressures, uneven access, fragmented services and significant differences in care across communities. At the same time, governments and health systems are investing in new approaches to primary care, community-based treatment, crisis response, supportive housing and integrated mental health and addictions services.

This leadership panel will bring together government and health-system leaders to examine the next phase of mental health and addictions transformation. The discussion will explore where progress is being made, where significant gaps remain, how priorities are shifting, and what greater accountability and collaboration will be required to improve access and outcomes.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Hear current priorities shaping the future direction of mental health and addictions car
• Examine where persistent gaps remain in access, capacity, coordination and equity
• Discuss the balance between hospital, primary-care, community and prevention investments
• Understand what health-system leaders should be preparing for over the next three to five years

Mental health and substance use health needs are often identified first in primary care and community settings, yet people can still encounter fragmented pathways, long waits, and difficulty navigating between services. This panel will explore how mental health and substance use health can be more effectively embedded within primary and community care, creating a more connected and person-centred experience.

Drawing on perspectives from the Mental Health Commission of Canada, panelists will discuss practical approaches to integration, including prevention and early intervention, collaborative models of care, workforce capacity, stigma reduction, culturally responsive services, and stronger connections between primary care, community organizations, home care, and specialized mental health services. The conversation will examine what it takes to move from parallel systems toward a model where mental health and substance use health are treated as an integral part of whole-person care.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Explore practical models for integration of mental health and substance use health into primary and community care, including opportunities for earlier identification, intervention and referral
• Identify barriers to seamless care, including fragmented services, workforce capacity, stigma, navigation challenges and gaps between primary, community and specialized service
• Learn how prevention and promotion can be embedded upstream, rather than relying primarily on crisis-driven responses
• Examine opportunities for stronger collaboration among primary care providers, home and community care organizations, mental health services, caregivers and people with lived and living experience

For people experiencing homelessness and complex mental health needs, leaving hospital does not necessarily mean they are ready to navigate recovery without additional support. Gaps between acute mental health care, housing and community services can contribute to instability, repeat emergency department visits and hospital readmissions.

This panel will explore a new partnership between CAMH, LOFT Community Services and the Champagne Centre designed to provide transitional care for patients experiencing homelessness as they move from hospital into the community. Panelists will share how the model was developed, how partners across the hospital, community and housing sectors work together, early outcomes and lessons learned, and what it takes to build a more coordinated pathway from hospitalization to stable community-based care.

Key Takeaways Include:

• How to bridge the gap between hospital discharge and community-based care for people experiencing homelessness and complex mental health needs
• Understand how healthcare, housing and community organizations can establish shared accountability rather than operating in silos
• Hear early outcomes and practical lessons from the CAMH–LOFT–Champagne Centre model
• Identify approaches that could be adapted or scaled in other communities across Canada

When someone experiences a mental health or substance use crisis, the emergency department—or even police involvement—can become the default response, regardless of whether it is the most appropriate setting. Across Canada, communities are developing alternative approaches that bring mental health professionals, paramedics, police services and community organizations together to respond differently.

This panel will examine emerging models of community-based crisis response, including mobile crisis teams, police–mental health partnerships, paramedic-led approaches and pathways that divert people from emergency departments when appropriate. Panelists will discuss how these models operate in practice, how partners determine the right response, what happens after the immediate crisis, and how success should be measured.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Compare different models of mobile and community-based mental health crisis response
• Explore opportunities to reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and police involvement
• Understand how police, paramedics, hospitals and community mental health organizations can establish clear roles, escalation pathways and shared protocols
• Examine what happens after the crisis response and how individuals are connected to ongoing care
• Identify measures for evaluating safety, patient experience, ED diversion and system impact

Across Canada, growing demand for mental health and substance use health services continues to put pressure on emergency departments while patients and families face challenges accessing timely, appropriate care. New models are needed to bridge the gap between emergency care, specialized mental health services, primary care, and community supports.

Drawing on The Royal’s Urgent Care Clinic, this session will explore the development and implementation of a specialized urgent care model designed to provide timely access to mental health and addiction services. Cara from The Royal will share lessons from launching the model, including how patients are connected to care, partnerships across the health system, early successes and implementation challenges, and approaches to measuring patient and system outcomes.

The session will also consider the potential for urgent mental health care models to reduce reliance on emergency departments and what would be required to adapt or scale similar approaches across Canada.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Understand how a specialized mental health and addiction urgent care model can provide an alternative pathway for people requiring timely support
• Explore opportunities to reduce pressure on emergency departments by connecting patients with appropriate mental health and addiction services earlier
• Learn practical lessons from designing and implementing The Royal’s Urgent Care Clinic, including early successes and challenges
• Examine how partnerships among hospitals, primary care providers and community organizations can strengthen urgent mental health care pathways

Navigating mental health and addictions services can be complex for patients, families and referring providers – particularly when multiple programs and organizations are involved. Ontario Shores has been identified to serve as the hub for central intake mental health and addictions services in the East region, helping connect individuals with the appropriate care and services.

This session will explore lessons from Ontario Shores’ central intake model and how the organization is now examining the potential of artificial intelligence to strengthen referral management. Sarah Kipping will discuss how AI could help create efficiencies in referral processes and support better navigation, while preserving the human relationships and clinical judgment that remain essential to mental healthcare.

The session will also share considerations around AI governance, responsible implementation and what health systems should think about before introducing AI into mental health service delivery.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Explore how a central intake hub can simplify navigation and connect people to appropriate mental health and addictions services
• Examine the potential for AI to improve referral management and reduce administrative burden, creating more time for meaningful patient and provider interaction
• Identify key considerations for AI governance, responsible implementation, and maintaining human-centred mental healthcare.

Children and young people are navigating increasingly complex mental health challenges, yet families can still face long waits, fragmented services and difficult transitions between community programs, primary care, schools, emergency departments and specialized mental health services.

This panel will examine what a more connected child and youth mental health system could look like. Leaders from pediatric healthcare, community mental health and integrated youth services will explore approaches to earlier intervention, improving access, supporting families, strengthening transitions between youth and adult services, and reaching young people before their needs escalate to crisis.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Identify opportunities to shift from crisis-driven care toward prevention and earlier intervention
• Explore how pediatric hospitals, primary care, schools and community organizations can create more connected pathways for children and youth
• Learn how integrated youth-service models can provide more accessible, youth-friendly pathways
• Consider how family and youth voices can shape service design, measurement and system improvement

Access to timely child and youth mental health services continues to be a significant challenge, particularly in rural, remote, and underserved communities. As demand for specialized services grows, innovative models that strengthen primary care capacity and improve access to psychiatric expertise are becoming increasingly important.
This presentation will showcase how Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care’s Family, Child and Youth Mental Health (FCYMH) Program has developed and implemented collaborative shared-care partnerships that enhance access to mental health services while supporting family physicians and nurse practitioners to manage complex child and youth mental health needs closer to home.
A featured example is the HANDS Partnership with the Parry Sound Family Health Team, a collaborative model that integrates psychiatric consultation directly within primary care. Through coordinated assessment, treatment planning, case consultation, and shared-care approaches, this partnership has expanded access to specialized mental health expertise while strengthening the capacity of primary care providers to support children, youth, and families in their own communities.

The presentation will also highlight additional collaborative initiatives currently in operation and discuss plans to expand this successful model into the Muskoka and South Georgian Bay regions.

Key Takeaways Include:

• Describe how shared-care partnerships between mental health specialists and primary care providers improve access to child and youth mental health services
• Identify practical strategies for embedding psychiatric consultation within primary care settings
• Explain how collaborative consultation models can reduce wait times and decrease reliance on emergency departments through earlier intervention
• Recognize how shared-care pathways can strengthen primary care capacity to support children and youth with ADHD, anxiety, behavioural concerns, trauma-related presentations, autism spectrum disorder, and other complex developmental needs