Rebecca Shields: A Cure for Mental Illness

Healthcare Change Makers

Rebecca Sheilds and her team at CMHA York and South Simcoe have strong throughlines in place for their 2025-2028 Strategic Plan. A key driver of this plan is the update of their mission and values, and their new vision which is all about a cure for mental illness. This disruptive and exciting thought stems from CHMA’s belief that true recovery is possible when institutions globally work together towards this goal.

What does this vision mean for their organization? “It means that we begin more and more to look at how do we partner in research, how do we ensure that we’re adopting promising, evidence-based best practices, how are we adopting better data analytics and decision making,” explains Rebecca.

In this episode of Healthcare Change Makers, Rebecca also shares insight into York Region's first Mental Health Community Care Centre. She speaks passionately about how healthcare organizations can work together to move the needle around mental health and addiction issues, and the importance of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and reconciliation strategies.

Quotables:

“The field of mental illness because of stigma has been left behind, in research, investment, in care; and so bringing people along is helping them believe and turning that belief into action that things can actually improve.”

“Mental illness can be treated, people can recover. And that I think we can all get behind.”

“And that collective vision is, what do we need to do to ensure that somebody’s first mental health crisis is their last.”

“I just want to say a huge gratitude to all of our partners, and Ontario Health and the government, for stepping up and supporting this work. This is about system change, and although we’re leading it, everybody is committed to a collective vision and we can’t do it without going back and believing in the possible.”

“All of us have to lean in right now as we see an erosion of, and people trying to dismantle the respect and identity of each and every person and their own personal identities.”

“We know that there’s a tie between racism, oppression and mental health. It is a stressor. It is morally disruptive, you know absolutely that kind of ongoing trauma of racism, discrimination and oppression actually impacts somebody’s wellbeing.”

“I’ve always thought back about Dr. Ian Dawe who used to say, all of us as healthcare providers, we might be able to treat the symptoms and treat mental illness, but mental health is a home, a job, and a friend.”

“The value of each person, and the perspective and what they bring actually will be part of what makes communities resilient and allows for the recovery and support of people for all of us, and our kids, our families and our seniors.”

“I feel that governance is incredibly important. Good governance really supports an organization to achieve great things.”

“We are trying to solve wicked problems together – and good governance and leadership are part of that.”

Mentioned in this Episode:

· CHMA York and South Simcoe

· CAMH

· Dr. Ian Dawe

· Health Common Solutions Lab (Sinai Health Systems)

· Human Services Planning Board of York Region

· IABC Communicator of the Year Award

· Ontario Health Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence

· Ontario Health

· Share Scale Repeat: A Podcast by HIROC

· Southlake Health

Access More Interviews with Healthcare Leaders at HIROC.com/podcast

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