In her latest blog for Qualaxia, a national online network for mental health system stakeholders, CMHA Ontario policy analyst Sheela Subramanian explains how tackling a complex policy issue can be like building a puzzle – one where the first step is to actually find the pieces. In this blog, Sheela shares how the Community of Interest (COI) for Racialized Populations and Mental Health and Addictions explored how, why and when racialized populations in Ontario use hospital emergency departments for mental health and addictions reasons. Although there is little academic research on this topic, the COI pieced together the puzzle by exploring research and grey literature, surveying a wide range of service providers including police services, listening to people with lived experience of mental health issues, and holding a think tank to bring together the many people impacted by this issue.
To read more about what the COI found, read the blog on the Qualaxia website.