October 1, 2012

NEW HOME FOR CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION WINNIPEG REGION NOW OPEN

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New Centre Offers Better Support, Higher Quality of Life: Rondeau

Representatives from the Canadian Mental Health Association Winnipeg Region (CMHAW) and other mental health partners joined Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs Minister Jim Rondeau to officially open the new, 12,000-square-foot Community Education and Service Centre today at 930 Portage Ave.
“This new centre will provide a welcoming atmosphere and a broader range of supports and services for individuals and families experiencing mental health issues,” said Rondeau.  “It will also be a great resource for the community, given its new capacity for training and education.”
“Our new centre provides a fully functional, accessible home for staff, the individuals we provide service to and the community,” said Nicole Chammartin, executive director of CMHAW.  “Among many benefits, the new centre will allow for significant growth in our programming, with several new programs already underway, and workshop capacity expected to nearly double by 2013.”
Chammartin thanked the project funders including the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, Winnipeg Foundation, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Wawanesa Insurance.  She also thanked community partners and supporters including the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, CentreVenture Development Corporation, Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg, SPARK (Supporting the Promotion of Activated Research and Knowledge), SSCOPE (Self-Starting Creative Opportunities for People in Employment), Manitoba League for Persons with Disabilities, Community Unemployed Help Centre, West Central Women’s Resource Centre, Community Financial Services Inc., SAIR Centre for Learning and Klinic Community Health Centre. 

The minister noted other provincial investments in mental health services including:

• investing more than $600,000 to establish a special court to work with accused whose mental health issues are the likely cause of their criminal behaviour and expanding mental health services to better support these individuals,
• partnering with Winnipeg’s Sara Riel Foundation to build an integrated 28-unit complex that will provide safe and affordable housing for families and adults with mental illnesses,
• establishing a northern mobile crisis team to assist youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are experiencing a mental health crisis,
• supporting a new Crisis Stabilization Unit in Steinbach, an eight-bed unit providing
  short-term care for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, and
• construction of a $14.7-million, stand-alone mental health crisis response centre located at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

Rondeau also recognized Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 as Mental Illness Awareness Week, an annual national public education campaign designed to make Canadians more aware of the realities of mental illness.
The Canadian Mental Health Association Winnipeg Region works to promote mental health and help people navigate mental health services, as well as providing direct services.  Ongoing funding for CMHAW is provided by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the United Way and the province.

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The Province of Manitoba is distributing this release on behalf of the Government of Manitoba and the Canadian Mental Health Association Winnipeg Region.