RNAO Mental Health and Substance Use Best Practices Program

Our journey: Mental Health and Substance Use Best Practices Program

Mental health and wellbeing are essential to everyday health. Pre-pandemic data suggested that each year, one in five Canadians experienced a mental health concern, highlighting a crisis in Canada. Since the pandemic began, 50 per cent of Canadians have reported worsening mental health, with increases in stress levels, depression, anxiety and, higher rates of substance use and associated deaths related to opioid toxicity.

The need for increased mental health and substance use supports – in an already fragile health-care system in crisis – has never been clearer. Nurses are at the forefront of the system providing mental health supports to people in need of care and healing.

The Registered Nursesʼ Association of Ontarioʼs (RNAO) Mental Health and Substance Use Best Practices Program, established in 2006, drives change by providing leadership to enhance evidence-based care and services.

For more information such as news articles, strategies, tool kits, staff and patient resources related to substance use and addictions, click here!