Pan-American perspectives on mental health and addictions coming to CAMH international health symposium

For Immediate Release – March 18, 2011 (Toronto) - The Office of International Health at CAMH is hosting a symposium on March 21, 2011 entitled Strengthening Mental Health Plans and Services in the Americas: Scaling up care for mental and substance use disorders, co-organized by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO).

Policy experts, health practitioners, health ministries, and academics from several countries in the Americas will gather to identify best practices and innovative strategies to address mental health and substance use. Through presentations, discussion and plenary sessions, participants will learn from each others’ experiences to better inform policy and practice in their home countries and in the Americas.

Speakers will include the CAMH President and CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn, as well as representatives from PAHO, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and Health Canada, and Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

Participating countries include Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, United States and Uruguay.

Date: Monday March 21^st, 2011

Time: Media are invited to attend between 12 and 2:30 pm (full schedule available upon request)

Location:        TEACH Learning Centre
                        Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
                        175 College Street, 3rd Floor
                        Toronto

For more information or for a full schedule please contact Michael Torres, CAMH Media Relations, 416-595-6015; or by email at media@camh.net

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.net.