New partnership to answer need for improved mental health care and outcomes through healthcare professional development  

New partnership to answer need for improved mental health care and outcomes through healthcare professional development  

August 8, 2022 – HealthCareCAN’s professional development division, CHA Learning, and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), have partnered to bring critical mental health related learning to the healthcare system across Canada.

“Mental health and wellness is an area of critical importance for HealthCareCAN as we support our members and other healthcare organizations with this issue,” said Dale Schierbeck, vice-president of learning and development at HealthCareCAN. “This partnership will help fill a strategic need for professional development and eLearning solutions, specifically, for healthcare professionals. By leveraging the MHCC’s evidence-based educational content, developed by subject-matter experts and researchers, and pairing it with CHA Learning’s expertise in healthcare education design and delivery, we have been able to create highly accessible, impactful micro-learning opportunities so that even the busiest of healthcare professionals can take advantage.”

These short, interactive eLearning courses will be 1-2 hours in length and will be provided for free to anyone working in the health system. The three courses will be offered in both English and French and are expected to be available this fall:

  • Suicide: Facing the Difficult Topic Together – Empowering Nurses, Instilling Hope in Clients
    This course will provide nurses and nurse practitioners with a firm understanding of suicide prevention, assessment, intervention, safety planning, local resources, and how to make effective referrals.
  • Suicide: Facing the Difficult Topic Together – Empowering Physicians, Instilling Hope in Clients
    This course will provide family physicians with a firm understanding of suicide prevention, assessment, intervention, safety planning, local resources, and how to make effective referrals.
  • Structural Stigma Training for Healthcare Leaders, Change Agents, and Influencers
    This course will provide foundational knowledge and awareness about the existence of structural stigma in the health system, the sources, manifestations and the impacts on access and quality of care and the outcomes and experiences of those facing mental health and substance use concerns.

“HealthCareCAN and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) have been working together for over five years to improve mental health in the health-care sector,” said Ed Mantler, senior vice president and chief program officer for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. “First, with efforts focused on advancing psychological health and safety in the workplace, and more recently to collaboratively develop a national framework for quality mental health care. Continuing to work with HealthCareCAN to develop online training specifically targeted at health-care professionals supports the need for improved access to quality, timely, and culturally appropriate mental health care in Canada.”

This partnership brings together the complimentary missions of both organizations – to support the mental health and wellness of Canadians and to promote healthcare system excellence.

Connect and stay tuned to both organization’s news channels and the CHA Learning website for launch details and enrolment information.