A Year in Review and a Look into the Future of CMHA Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health Services

Sep 26, 2024

This week, we hosted our Year in Review event, an opportunity for us to reflect on the successes and challenges from our previous fiscal year and look ahead to the next year. The event welcomed staff, volunteers, community partners, and elected officials. Attendees were able to hear from our CEO Pam Tobin, our Board of Directors, and members of our executive leadership team on accomplishments from the past year as well as what’s next for CMHA TVAMHS.

Part of the evening included an introduction to our new Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan is a blueprint that will guide our organization for the next three years. Please find it on pages 9 and 10 of our 2023-2024 Annual Report.

This plan is the result of collaboration from staff, Board members, and community partners, careful analysis, and a shared vision for our future. Our goal is to not only meet the challenges of tomorrow but to set the bar for excellence in community-based mental health and addiction care in our communities.

At our Year in Review, presenters went into further detail on the four Strategic Priorities of the Plan, the work already being done to achieve these goals, and what’s next. This includes:

• Access to Client-Centered Care:
  • Our Innovation team has been working closely with our IT department to integrate AI into our First Contact Form, ensuring that individuals requesting service are connected with the right program for their needs. This project is in its final stages of development, with work being done on the front- and back-end functionality. Check it out through our Getting Started form.
  • Our Clinical Services team continues to make connections and evolve processes to best meet the needs of clients accessing services like Withdrawal Management, the Youth Wellness Hub, psychiatry, and the RAAM clinic.
• Support First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Urban Indigenous Priorities:
  • Our Director of Strategy leads work to develop and execute our Reconciliation Action Plan for the health and wellness of First Nation, Inuit, Métis, and Urban Indigenous communities in our service region. This Plan includes an anti-racism and anti-oppression strategy for equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging that positively affects both our clients and our staff.
• Leadership – Fostering Growth and Development:
  • We feel we have some of the most incredible leaders, both in management and in direct service, working at CMHA TVAMHS – and we want to be able to support them in their careers so they can thrive and grow. Our VP of Supports and Services is leading the development of a new program that will provide opportunities for a mentorship curriculum and peer support through the Thrive Institute.
• Supportive Housing:
  • Our supportive housing portfolio is growing and evolving in exciting ways. This year, the organization was able to purchase a property with the goal of stabilizing its supportive housing program while also gaining equity in the housing market and the opportunity to invest into a property – an overarching theme of this program.
  • Our VP of Supportive Housing shared that we will be moving forward with developing a brand new supportive housing building in London, something that CMHA TVAMHS will wholly own and operate. More to come on this project in the coming months.
  • CMHA TVAMHS will also apply to lead the operation of a HART Hub, a project announced by the provincial government earlier this year and inspired by the success of the London Whole of Community Response hubs. This will provide more funding to existing services so we can expand and support more individuals.

A copy of the presentation shared at the event can be found here.

This is our first Strategic Plan as an integrated organization and we are confident that with the expertise of our talented staff, CMHA TVAMHS will meet these goals. Together, we will reinforce the organization and continue delivering exceptional care to some of the most marginalized communities in Thames Valley with effective solutions to complex challenges.

We look forward to working together with our funders and community partners to bring our vision to life and make a lasting impact on our community.

Review our 2023-2024 Annual Report, including our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan, by clicking here.