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Health Equity Office

CAMH has a history of being a champion for health equity and has made a long-term organizational commitment to reducing disparities in mental illness and treatment for marginalized groups. CAMH's journey started with the approval of diversity as an organizational priority in 2000, but has developed with health equity as a driving force, reflecting the changing understanding of issues as the healthcare environment has matured.

The Health Equity Office at CAMH was established in March, 2011. Through our work, we plan and implement equity based initiatives in keeping with the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network's (TC LHIN) priorities. The Health Equity Office contributes to all areas of CAMH's Vision 2020 Strategic Plan in that it:

  • Promotes improved access to services through its Interpretation Services and its support to clinical programs by facilitating understanding of who we serve and what can be done to promote equity of access
  • Develops outstanding services through training in health equity and diversity. It helps build an environment of recovery through its support for integrating diverse communities' perspectives in planning
  • Ignites discovery and service innovation through funded research grants, audits of services and internal and external publications
  • Supports the education mandate via face-to-face and web-based education
  • Works with systems partners including the TC LHIN and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) to help drive social change. This is done through, among other initiatives, the collection of socio-demographic data in Toronto's downtown hospitals and the roll-out of the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) Tool.

The Health Equity Team

  • Dr. Kwame McKenzie, Clinical Director
  • Aamna Ashraf, Manager
  • Erin Lee, Communications Associate
  • Janet Ngo, Communications Coordinator (on parental leave)
  • Jewel Bailey, Project Coordinator
  • Lorrie Simunovic, Education Specialist
  • Chantel Spade, Communications Coordinator
  • Mercedes Sobers, Evaluation and Research Coordinator
  • Andrew Tuck, Research Coordinator
  • Nuccia Vani, Administrative Assistant