Recap of inaugural Mental Health and Substance Use Summit

On March 18-19 in Toronto, RNAO hosted its first Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) Summit. This event brought together nurses, other health professionals and leadership in the education and social service sectors to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RNAO’s Youth Wellness Champions (YWC) Program and plan for the future of youth mental health through the world-renowned Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) Program.

The event featured presentations and panel discussions related to the growth of the YMC program; equity, diversity and inclusion in youth mental health; the launch of the YMC toolkit; impacts of BPSO in the mental health sector; the role of nurses in MHSU; and more. Participants also engaged in think tank sessions related to envisioning an integrated system of youth mental health and addressing the MHSU crisis in Ontario through BPSO.

RNAO’s thread on X shows a glimpse of the event. Stay tuned for the next issue of RNJ to hear from some of the summit’s presenters.