Tenth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. The CAMH Wellness Centre opened its doors to all staff, physicians, volunteers and students in May 2017. The space and programs were designed for members to focus on their health and wellbeing, while also supporting and sustaining this practice. Our goal is to optimize our physical space and offer programs and workshops that elevate staff awareness and knowledge regarding their own wellbeing. A process evaluation was completed in May 2018, one year following the first opening, to evaluate whether the inputs, outputs and activities of the program were being implemented as planned. Evaluative and attendance data, combined with results from the survey, highlighted the member’s awareness of health promotion campaigns and indicated a correlation between being a member and increased personal development. Thematic analysis of open-ended questions emphasized the appreciation of members for affordability, convenience, social aspect to group exercise classes and holistic variety of programs available. Another process evaluation is planned in May 2020 to further understand the implementation of the programs, the impacts to members and to support continued development of a sustainable and successful Wellness Centre.