The Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario, and several local community mental health agencies have been awarded grants from the Ministry of Health Promotion through the Communities in Action Fund (CIAF) to support physical activity for people with serious mental illnesses.
CMHA Ontario received $98,985 for “Minding Our Bodies,” a provincial, two-year project to increase capacity within the community mental health system to promote active living and to deliver integrated opportunities for physical activity for people with serious mental illnesses as an essential element for recovery. Working in partnership with YMCA Ontario and York University’s Faculty of Health, CMHA Ontario will create a provincial mental health promotion program that serves as an “incubator” to help mental health service providers in Ontario develop and deliver evidence-based physical activity programs in their local communities.
Several organizations were given regional grants. CMHA Durham Branch received $20,693 to reduce barriers and provide new opportunities for those with mental health issues to become physically active. CMHA Halton Branch was awarded $64,660 to assist with the development and implementation of physical activity programs for people with a mental illness. CMHA Windsor-Essex County Branch received $8,819 to assist with the delivery of weekly yoga classes for people with a disability in Windsor. Hong Fook Mental Health Association was awarded $55,470 to develop and implement a holistic health program that will increase the participation of mental health consumers in physical and sports activity.
People with serious mental illnesses are at high risk for chronic physical conditions associated with sedentary behaviour, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research evidence shows that increased physical activity can have significant positive effects in preventing chronic disease, improving chronic disease outcomes and supporting recovery from mental illnesses.
The Communities in Action Fund is part of ACTIVE2010: Ontario’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy that aims to help Ontarians be more physically active. Since 2004, more than $32 million in CIAF grants have been awarded to over 1,000 organizations at the provincial and local level. Grants cover up to 60 percent of eligible project costs, or up to 80 percent for programs that reach Aboriginal groups. Ontarians with disabilities, including people with mental illnesses, are among the priority groups identified as target audiences for CIAF-funded projects.
For more information about CMHA Ontario’s “Minding Our Bodies” project, visit www.mindingourbodies.ca. For more information about the Communities in Action Fund, including a complete list of grant recipients, see the Ministry of Health Promotion website at www.mhp.gov.on.ca.
