About The Healthy Minds Cooperative

The Healthy Minds Cooperative is a member owned and democratically controlled not-for-profit enterprise. Its shareholders are people who possess lived experience with mental illness, and/or an interest in the topic of mental health.

What is the Healthy Minds Co-op about?

The Co-op is about people who have mental illness/mental health issues helping themselves.

It is made up of people who are committed to improving mental health in their communities. Many of its members have experience with mental illness or mental health issues, and know there is a need for change in the system and society. HMCo-op provides public education to reduce the stigma of mental illness offers peer support and facilitates connections to community services.

The Co-op has identified five areas of priorities, they are:

• Better access to mental health services
• Public education regarding mental illness
• More participation of those with lived experience in the design, development, delivery and evaluation of mental health services
• Providing peer-support and advocacy for consumers and their families
• Developing better connections to existing community services

Our Staff

Myra Donnelly-Gay, Executive Director

The Executive Director is responsible for business development, personnel management, financial management, fundraising, community liaison functions, public education, maintaining the interest of existing shareholders, and broadening of the Healthy Minds Cooperative’s shareholder base; participating on various committees, task teams, and working groups within Capital Health’s Healthy Minds Initiative; and providing input into the integration of the Capital District Mental Health Program’s services with other services and supports in the new Community Resource Networks.

healthyminds@eastlink.ca

Irene Skehen, Wellness and Recovery Educator

The Wellness & Recovery Educator is responsible for providing education to shareholders in areas such as committee and board participation, wellness and recovery, and self-advocacy skills; developing peer support services; participating in ongoing recovery initiatives within the Capital Health District; and conducting research and literature reviews relating to wellness and recovery.

ireneskehen@eastlink.ca

Mickie Bowe, Healthy Minds Navigator

The Healthy Minds Navigator is responsible for assisting shareholders in self-empowerment through system navigation and advocacy; developing and overseeing a navigator program for end-users of mental health services and their families; assisting in the development and implementation of an Internet-based support site for mental health information and resources (and ensuring that youth are engaged in this process); assisting shareholders to organize peer support groups; and referring service users and/or their family members to existing peer support groups, training, and/or tools.

hmnavigator@eastlink.ca

For more information about the Healthy Minds Cooperative, download our brochure!