The economic burden of mental illness in Canada is estimated at $51 billion per year. This includes health care costs, lost productivity, and reductions in health-related quality of life. CMHA-WECB, through our "On the Frontlines" initiative, seeks to move the needle and help to develop healthier employees and workplaces.

On average, 2,600 clients receive treatment from the Canadian Mental Health Association, Windsor-Essex County Branch (CMHA-WECB) annually for moderate to severe mental illness.

Education and training are key areas not fully funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Yet they are key to shifting the tide of mental health stigma.

Bereavement counselling for both children and adults can help those struggling with the loss of a loved one and mitigate the need for more intensive intervention later on.

The Sole Focus Project aims to ease societal and financial burdens on those with a mental health issue, addiction, or the bereaved, by raising funds towards mental wellness education and awareness, providing training and treatment, and community support.

The more resources and services we can make available to those in need of help, the more we can ensure a mentally healthy Windsor & Essex County, overall.

At CMHA-WECB, community well-being is our sole focus.

The Sole Focus Project has become the catalyst for engaging the community and creating awareness of the importance of mental health for everyone. The Sole Focus Project is dedicated to supporting preventative education across the community.

Gifts to the Sole Focus Project will help to fund education and training to targeted groups, including emerging adults, veterans, newcomers, agricultural workers, LGBTQIA+ and workplaces.

Specifically, gifts to the Sole Focus Project enable:

• Sustainability of programs only partially or not at all funded by the government, including mental health promotion, education, training and bereavement services
• Suicide prevention as we work toward a Suicide Safer Community
• Workplace wellness through On the Frontlines
• Mental health promotion via community outreach and awareness campaigns
• With the establishment of an endowment fund in 2017 with the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, CMHA-WECB is committed to building a sustainable source of ongoing revenue to support unfunded programs

What does having community well-being as our sole focus mean for Windsor-Essex?

• Over 800 requests for mental health promotion and training since 2017
• Over 100 health fairs attended
• 21 ASIST workshops resulting in 741 new suicide first aid caregivers
• 34 safeTalk workshops resulting in 614 new suicide alert helpers
• 6 Suicide to Hope workshops resulting in 81 individuals trained in recovery and growth
• 550 workplaces and 5,000 employees receiving mental health education and training
• Over 9,600 youth receiving mental health education Ultimately it means people living more full lives.

Ultimately it means people living more full lives.

The more we talk about mental illness, the more we can and will reduce stigma.

The key to starting this conversation is education and awareness. Education empowers individuals to pay the same attention to their mental health as they do their physical health. Individuals are then able to focus on the signs and symptoms to look for, what tools are available, and where to go for help.

Your mental health is affected by numerous factors from your daily life, including the stress of balancing work with your health and relationships.

Click here and link to resources to help you stay mentally fit and healthy.