While the Better Together Summit is now over, the work to transform mental health and substance use health (MHSUH) systems continues.
Co-hosted with the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), the Better Together System Transformation Summit brought people together to explore innovative solutions and address key challenges of communities and MHSUH systems today. With growing demand, barriers to access, and calls for more inclusive and data-informed care, system transformation has never been more urgent.
With more than 300 attendees at the free virtual event, it is clear that there is widespread interest in transforming MHSUH systems for better access and outcomes across Canada and internationally.
“Great insights into practical implementation!” – summit attendee
Over two days of national and global insights, attendees connected at nine expert-led sessions, learning and sharing about transformative projects and actions directly from changemakers. Participants also got a chance to dive into Stepped Care 2.0 and other person-centric approaches to increase access, reduce waitlists, and embrace co-design and data-informed practices.
Better Together began with a keynote from Dr. Cornelia (Nel) Wieman titled “Transforming the BC Health Care System: Our First Nations Live Depend on It”, in which the Chief Medical Officer, First Nations Health Authority shared details of system change undertaken in British Columbia that works because it pairs a return to traditional Indigenous wellness with western care. Our president, Dr. AnnMarie Churchill, closed the summit with a focus on how to maintain momentum after the event.
“In order to reach solutions, we really have to do it together. We have to be able to sustain our efforts through connection, collaboration and co-design. Working together, we create safety nets and can sustain our efforts.” – Dr. AnnMarie Churchill
Summit sessions and conversations included:
- Stigma and Discrimination in System Design
- Mobilizing Data to Improve Access and Services
- Improving Equitable Access Across Systems and Services
- The SC2.0 Model and Populating the Model
- Digital Transformation: EMH Strategy and App Initiatives
- Meaningful Co-Design in Practice
- Implementing Models of Care in Varying Contexts and with Quality
- Beyond DEI: Synergy in the SC2.0 Model
- Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace
“Great to hear concrete examples of tech supporting
mental health access.” – summit attendee
Event videos and resources now available
In the spirit of access and accessibility, presentation slides and recordings of all the summit sessions are available for you to download and view, with recordings in English and French. You can also see the Visual Summary Report, with illustrations by ThinkLink Graphics, highlighting the key conversations and themes over two days.
We invite you to explore the materials and continue the conversation—whether within your teams, organizations, or communities. Together, we can build more responsive, equitable systems of care.
Find all of these event resources through our event page.