Flora's Walk 2023

The 2nd annual Flora’s Walk was a tremendous success! Thank you to all who participated.

The official tally of Flora’s Walk 2023 was a phenomenal $121,290.89!!! We raised over 37% more funds this year which helped us create our Provincial and Territorial Chapters to increase our advocacy efforts across Canada.

25% of the money raised from Flora’s Walk 2023 went towards growing our Community Pot that trained 85 health practitioners, enabling them to work towards and receive their Canadian Certified Perinatal Mental Health Certificate (CC-PMH). The funding also helped provide support to eight grassroots perinatal programs across Canada.

CPMHC Flora’s Walk 2023 Community Pot Grantees:

Successful applicants (in no particular order):

1) In Regina, SK: Build a Village (non-profit organization)

– Funding will go towards their in-home visiting program which supports families who have limited community supports and who face financial barriers

2) In Marathon, ON: Marathon Family Health Team

– Funding will go towards the creation of an Indigenous arts-based perinatal support program in two rural communities

3) Canada-wide (Alberta-based): The Black Birth Project

– Funding will go towards this community-based research project aimed at addressing current gaps in Canadian research about Black birthing people

4) In Waterloo, ON: Together: Perinatal Mental Health Inc. (non-profit-organization)

– Funding will help sustain their 2SLGBTQIA+ perinatal mental health support group

5) In Surrey, BC: South Rock Perinatal Wellness

– Funding will go towards a new initiative creating evidence-based programming focusing on mental health challenges expressed by their perinatal community

6) In Hamilton, ON: Cherry Tree Counselling

– Funding will go towards the creation of a birth trauma health care provider training program based on an evidence-based midwifery intervention from the UK

7) Ontario-wide: Oasis Fertility Support Network

– Funding will support families outside of fertility clinics through the fertility care stage and throughout the perinatal period

8) In Newfoundland: NL Health Sciences – Rural Eastern Zone

– Funding will support their obstetrical nursing staff to receive specialized perinatal mental health training/certification through Postpartum Support International

At the Flora’s Walk in Ottawa, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Carolyn Bennett announced $857,000 in funding for perinatal mental health including $372,000 to Women’s College Hospital to develop Canada’s first ever National Guidelines for Perinatal Mental Health! The CPMHC is thrilled to be Principal Advisors for the guidelines working alongside phenomenal project leads Dr. Simone Vigod and Dr. Benicio Frey.

See Health Canada’s press release here: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2023/05/government-of-canada-announces-close-to-857000-to-support-maternal-mental-health-on-world-maternal-mental-health-day.html

Our response to the announcement by Minister Bennett:

CPMHC Applauds Government’s Decision to Fund First Ever National Perinatal Mental Health Guidelines

The Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative (CPMHC) is thrilled that the Government of Canada is providing $372,000 to Women’s College Hospital to develop the first ever Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Perinatal Mood, Anxiety and Related Disorders.

“We are honoured to be part of the team at Women’s College Hospital moving national guidelines for perinatal mental health forward,” say Jaime Charlebois and Patricia Tomasi, CPMHC Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors. “The work towards a national perinatal mental health strategy starts today!”

The CPMHC was asked to participate in the CANMAT guidelines project in January and provided a letter of support to project leads Dr. Simone Vigod and Dr. Benicio Frey.

“As co-PWLE PAs (People With Lived Experience Principal Advisors), and Knowledge Users, we are committed to the success of the CANMAT guideline,” say Tomasi and Charlebois. “This project has the potential to transform the health care system and increase access to evidence-based treatments which is in-line with our call for a national perinatal mental health strategy.”

Since 2019, the CPMHC has been calling for a national perinatal mental health strategy that includes guidelines on universal screening and timely access to treatment. The CANMAT guidelines are a precursor to National Standards of Care for perinatal mental health.

As mentioned in the government’s announcement, the guidelines will help “individuals, families, and caregivers better understand what to ask for in their care; assist health care professionals in expanding their knowledge of what perinatal care should be offered; and help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve their performance.”

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett made the announcement today, at the CPMHC’s second annual Flora’s Walk for Perinatal Mental Health along with $279,000 in funding to the Canadian Mothercraft Society, and $206,000 to the Family Matters Society of Calgary.

Also in Ottawa, Flora’s Walk sponsor, MP Pam Damoff, made a statement in the House of Commons which you can listen to here:

We once again had outstanding national media coverage including this great piece of CBC Ottawa:

THANK YOU TO ALL!