Social Prescribing for Better Mental Health

This project will support the expansion of social prescribing to organizations and health providers across Ontario, with training and knowledge being shared more broadly within Canada. Training/resources will be provided to up to 100+ Ontario-based interprofessional, primary health care organizations. 28 Ontario-based Community Health Centres reaching populations/communities experiencing the highest disease burden of COVID-19 will receive funds to support the implementation of social prescribing to better facilitate connection of community members and clients to non-clinical supports that support better mental health.

The project will also support Ontario 211/Community Connection in enhancing their capacity to offer social prescribing through a closed-loop referral pathway.

Finally, the project includes the creation of a comprehensive online learning module for best practices in Equity Focused Social Prescribing. The curriculum will be co-created with service providers, clients, and clinicians with experience with social prescribing, and will be available & accessible for service providers across Canada.

Lead organization: Alliance for Healthier Communities

Supporting the expansion of social prescribing to organizations and health providers across Ontario

WHO
WHAT
HOW
WHERE
WHY

Populations/communities experiencing the highest disease burden of COVID-19.

Objectives

To promote positive mental health, prevent mental illness, and build capacity to address new and complex needs emerging from the pandemic.

Using a social prescribing approach, this project will:

Provide 28 Ontario-based Community Health Centres with funding to support the implementation of social prescribing to facilitate connection of community members and clients to non-clinical supports that support better mental health
Provide training and resources to up to 100+ interprofessional, primary health care organizations to support social prescribing implementation, as well as enhance community-based mental health promotion programming
Support Ontario 211/Community Connection in enhancing their capacity to offer social prescribing through a closed-loop referral pathway
Co-create and deliver a comprehensive online learning module for best practices in Equity Focused Social Prescribing that will be available and accessible for service providers across Canada

Settings

Interprofessional, primary health care organizations
Community

Implementation sites

Ontario

Recent research has shown:

- The number of Canadians with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has more than doubled
- Individuals reporting a weak sense of community belonging were 10 times more likely to screen positive for MDD
- Increasingly, social isolation and loneliness are being recognized as significant risk factors that affect people’s physical and mental health.

In the words of the project team members

“Social prescribing is connecting someone with their community, it’s connecting someone with non-clinical supports to support themselves, their interests and what they need. It is one way that we can make sure that people are able to connect with the communities that are around them to support their mental health and wellbeing.”