About Our Program
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
In 2014, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF) funded a Mental Health Literacy initiative through Alberta Health Services, resulting in programs MORE, SMILES, and CanREACH joining the AHS Child and Adolescent Addiction, Mental Health and Psychiatry Program (CAAMHPP) portfolio. Of these programs, CanREACH was specific to pediatric mental health literacy for primary care providers. In recent years, CanREACH and it’s partner programs have grown into Mental Health Collaborative, each serving the CAAMHPP vision of ‘healthy futures for children, adolescents, families, and communities’.
As one component of the CanREACH program, CanREACH is a licensee of the Resource for Advancing Children’s Health (REACH) Institute PPP training. CanREACH is a REACH approved site to independently offer this training, and has adapted the REACH training to Canadian contexts.
In it’s first five years, CanREACH documented significant evidence of success. This led to the program receiving a Health Innovation Innovation Implementation and Spread (HIIS) fund to adopt and measure a provincial strategy. CanREACH is pleased to have supported initiatives in other Canadian provinces, received national accolades, and continued publishing evidence of success.
AWARDS
2021
Alberta Health Services, Department of Psychiatry – Excellence in Systems Transformation Award
2019
Children’s Healthcare Canada – Organizational Leadership Award
2019
President’s Excellence – Outstanding Achievements in Innovation and Research Excellence Award
2018
College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) – Continuing Professional Development Program Award
2016
Alberta Health Services, Department of Psychiatry – Excellence in Systems Transformation Award
CANREACH: PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
CANREACH FACULTY
CanREACH is led by REACH Course Masters Dr. Sam Chang (Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist), Dr. Roxanne Swiegers(Family Physician) and Course Facilitator Dr. Eden McCaffrey (Medical Education/Clinical Therapist), with the support of Program Administrator Elizabeth Belyea.
PHYSICIAN FACULTY INCLUDE:
Family Physicians
Paediatricians
Psychiatrists
PROGRAM LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the CanREACH: Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care (PPP) mini-fellowship training program, participants will be able to:
1) Increase their knowledge and develop skills in the identification, assessment and treatment of child and adolescent mental health ;
2) Develop competence and confidence (self-efficacy) to translate the new knowledge and skill in child and adolescent mental health into their clinical practice so to maintain knowledge and skill post-training;
3) Improve their provision of mental health services for the children and families in their care by:
• Appropriately assessing/identifying, formulating/diagnosing and monitoring accurate mental health diagnosis
• Effectively engaging the child and family in all aspects of assessment and treatment
• Providing comprehensive and appropriate evidence-based treatment in the practice setting
• Collaborating with other relevant community professionals for assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning
• Delivering ongoing mental health care tailored to the child and family’s individual needs
ACCREDITATION STATEMENTS
