Mental Health
This working group strives to develop a strong voice for Eastern Ontario on a range of issues critical to child and youth mental health, as well as to develop innovative responses to issues as they arise.
One area of focus has been disordered eating. When CHEO established its inpatient clinic for eating disorders, the working group developed a companion survey which was distributed to nearly 400 parents of young athletes and 200 community service providers including coaches, physicians, social workers, child and youth workers, physical education teachers, group home leaders, nurse practitioners and others. Once the survey confirmed the need for action, the group formed a partnership with others to launch a two-year project aimed at development of a prevention model that can be adapted to a variety of sports and settings.