Building Bridges to Mental Health Supports in Alberta

When DeAnn Hunter speaks, you feel the passion for her work echo through her words—a passion that's vitally important to every community. As the board chair of the Mental Health Foundation, she joins us to share the remarkable progress being made in Alberta's mental health landscape. DeAnn's path in mental health advocacy is as personal as it is professional, shaped by a deep understanding of the critical role that support systems play in our lives. Our conversation is a beacon of hope, illuminating how the Foundation is tirelessly working to make mental health care accessible for all and to shatter the stigma so often attached to mental illness.

This episode is a journey through the interconnected worlds of mental health across various sectors, with an unexpected detour into the construction industry, revealing the profound need for dedicated mental health programs. DeAnn's heartfelt work with Big Brothers Big Sisters serves as a testament to the power of volunteerism, a gentle reminder of the human capacity for kindness and the transformative impact of community involvement. You're invited to get to know the groundbreaking work of Kickstand, a youth-led virtual wellness hub, and the Mental Health Foundation's upcoming events, including their annual fundraising breakfast, that champion mental well-being. Together we explore the serious, often underestimated responsibility of board service and how aligning your skills with an organization's needs can lead to fulfilling service. Join us to understand the steps being taken towards a future of mental wellness and the importance of fostering both personal and community health.

Get your ticket to the Mental Health Foundation Breakfast on February 27th, 2024. 

About Our Guest

DeAnn Hunter is the Board Chair of the Mental Health Foundation and also the CEO of Edmonton John Howard Society. DeAnn is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years in business, health care and the community sector. She is known for driving transformational change, maximizing operational excellence and building collaborations to enhance the lives of individuals. DeAnn is passionate about mental health and community development. She has held numerous community board appointments including Board Chair for Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters, Board Chair for Terra Centre and her current Board role with the Mental Health Foundation. DeAnn holds an undergraduate degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice and a MBA in executive leadership. In her spare time, DeAnn enjoys playing and watching sports and running in Edmonton’s beautiful river valley.

What is Give Amplify Connect?

There’s a story behind every action. Give Amplify Connect is a podcast from the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation that gives a voice to the Alberta-based charitable organizations creating community impact, changing lives, and making a difference. Driven by honest conversations with host Kristy Wolfe, it’s a chance for passionate changemakers to share their story.

Learn more at wolfepackwarriors.com

Podcast music used with artist permission
"Okay" by Ellen Braun

Transcript

DeAnn Hunter: 0:00

The Mental Health Foundation in Alberta is all about a better future in mind for everybody that needs access to mental health services, and it could be as small as a connection and a conversation to as large as treatment for resistive depression. It's never been more important to be part of the Mental Health Foundation and to say, okay, what's that impact? What are people needing and expecting for their mental health and how do we provide that?

Intro: 0:32

Welcome to Give Amplify Connect, the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation podcast that dives deeper into the stories of the charitable organizations in Alberta that are making a difference. Host and producer Kristy Wolfe sits down with the leaders of the nonprofit world to learn more about their purpose, hopes and dreams. Settle in for an honest conversation with Kristy about the impact people are making in their communities and how they keep moving forward.

Kristy Wolfe: 1:02

With me today is DeAnn Hunter. Now DeAnn is the board chair of the Mental Health Foundation. She's also the CEO of the John Howard Society in Edmonton. Hi, DeAnn, hello, how are you Good? How are you doing? I am excellent. So will you tell us a bit about the Mental Health Foundation?

DeAnn Hunter: 1:21

Sure. So the Mental Health Foundation is Alberta based, so we're across the province. It's all about having a better future in mind. So what that means is, all stages and ages, of childhood to the elderly, no gaps in service, destigmatizing mental health and showing that we can live truly healthy, elutable life even if we have a mental illness, and really looking for those gaps and connecting people together to fill those gaps for individuals and for systems to come together and really make sure that everybody who has access to mental health programs and services receives it on the eat.

Kristy Wolfe: 1:58

I want to mention that the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation is working in collaboration right now with Kickstand. Will you also talk a little bit about Kickstand, because the Mental Health Foundation is a huge sponsor and funder of Kickstand.

DeAnn Hunter: 2:12

Yes, kickstand is one of our major initiatives and we are so proud and blessed to be part of Kickstand. With Mental Health Foundation we look at programs, patient supports, research, education, awareness, infrastructure and with Kickstand it's all about youth hubs and it's for you, by you, and it's so important because it takes that, not just the social aspect of mental health but also that medical aspect, and brings them together and it's youth saying here's what we need, when we need it, because they are such an under-served population when it comes to their health, and that age group between 16 and 24, that specific age is when mental health is so crucial for so many. So with Kickstand it is virtual. Right now it is going physical as well, but you can get access to virtual services, one-stop shop for wellness, and soon they're going to be opening up physical locations.

Kristy Wolfe: 3:05

And we will have a lot more information about that. We have some people from Kickstand coming on the podcast on the next episode, but I just wanted to touch on the connection between Mental Health Foundation and Kickstand. So, DeAnn, will you tell us how you got involved with the Mental Health Foundation?

DeAnn Hunter: 3:21

Kind of a few ways. So I have lived experience with addiction to mental health. I was born and raised in a very remote and northern part of the country and we had no addiction to mental health services. So a psychiatrist came in probably once every six months, if that weather permitted. And I had a brother and a father who struggled with addiction issues, severe addiction issues, and when my brother was finally able to get help he had to go to another province and it was paid for by the province we're from, just because there was no access to services. So it was a health service that was required and part of his recovery was a family program and Addiction is a family illness, sadly, and it did certainly tear apart our family.

DeAnn Hunter: 4:09

Just for me growing up it was my parents trying to deal with my brother and so me trying to be perfect so that I didn't upset them because they were dealing so much with my brother. So I always said to myself for the rest of my life I will make sure that people have access to mental health services when they need them, especially when they need them most, and not just for the individual but for the family. It's so important and today we're a lot more healthy. As a family. We still struggle with mental health and addiction, but we have resources that we can use together to get through the hard days, and it was because we had access to that program and that there was a family program attached to it.

DeAnn Hunter: 4:47

So that's one of the main reasons I became involved with the Mental Health Foundation and also I'm just a community builder by trade, so I've volunteered my whole life. This is my third stint as a board chair with a community agency, so I have a few that are near and dear to my heart. One is Boys and Girls and Big Brothers big Sisters and I was a mentor. I was a big sister for 10 years on their board and also with Terra, which is for pregnant and parenting teens. So they're all related to building healthy families and healthy communities, and so the Mental Health Foundation was just a natural fit for me. In coming from a healthcare background, working in addiction to mental health, it was a great fit to continue that impact and make sure those services are out there for everybody. It is health services out there. You just have to know where to go. And being part of the Mental Health Foundation makes it all more real that we need these services and we need to fundraise and advocate for health.

Kristy Wolfe: 5:42

It sounds like you have a wealth of experience and a lot of what you said resonated with me. When you talk about lived experience, I love that you talked about growing up, because we know there's all these things that happen throughout your lifespan and if we're not talking about mental health early, it just becomes more and more stigmatized, and I find being open to sharing those experiences is how we move forward. So I'm really glad you brought up your own experience, because I think that is a really big piece of it. I also really loved how you talked about your experience as a big sister. You don't have to jump in with something really huge.

Kristy Wolfe: 6:18

Telling somebody else about the Mental Health Foundation, telling somebody else about KickStand, can be something that you do. I know that KickStand asked us to really highlight their programs, like the Family Skills Program, so what you've mentioned is that that was something that was important for your family having the wraparound skills of how to be a family to somebody that's struggling with their mental health. So I can appreciate that as well. I am wondering what have you seen with the Mental Health Foundation and the stories that you hear about how it's impacted people's lives?

DeAnn Hunter: 6:48

Oh my gosh, there's so many. So you hear things like out. At Alberta Hospital Edmonton, the Mental Health Foundation helped fund a day hospital and there were so many impacts for people because a lot of times people think if you have a mental illness you have to be hospitalized. Well, when you have cancer, you're always hospitalized. You can do treatment in the community, right, have you? So the day hospital was a way to serve individuals with an acute mental illness who didn't require hospitalization, so they could go home at the end of the day. That's how you become well. You stay connected to the ones you love. You go back to your own bed in the evening, but you're receiving intense services during the day and you'd hear those impact stories like they could continue their life. They could go get groceries, they could go hang out with their kids, you know, but during the day they'd be in really important sessions, whether it was, you know, cognitive behavioral therapy or a mood clinic or what have you. So you'd hear those stories just about the impact of it's okay to get treatment during the day and go live your life. Years ago the Mental Health Foundation built a friendship trail at Alberta Hospital E dmonton, and it just is a way to get people out and about and engaged, because natural environments are so incredibly important being outside for your mental health and then kickstand and even just its virtual clinic. A youth can get access to a psychiatrist. They can make a phone call and say I need to talk to a psychiatrist, or they can get connected to a program for you know, an educational program or a substance use program. So it's just that practical piece of making services available for people.

DeAnn Hunter: 8:20

I think that's a big way the Mental Health Foundation has had impact, just in that practical day to day and then also at that systems level. If we bring, we see the gaps and we bring people together. There are so many services out there. I think what we forget, though, is not all of them are free, like we. You know, healthcare is a public service, but if you want access to a psychologist on a regular basis or a counselor, it's $225 an hour unless you have access to benefits. So I think it's important that, yes, there's lots of mental health services out there, but they're not always available for people. If that's where the Mental Health Foundation comes in is to start educating people on and start advocating for those incredibly important services, like psychology and counseling that people need. I hear that every day, like in my job as CEO of Edmonton John Howard Society. One of the biggest needs we have, especially in our domestic violence programs, is the need for counseling, and it's so incredibly hard to find funding for that.

Kristy Wolfe: 9:17

Alberta Health Services talks about mental health and addiction and automatically addiction is grouped in, whereas someone with anxiety might not feel like they fit that scale of things. So when is it appropriate to start reaching out for mental health supports?

DeAnn Hunter: 9:33

When you're not feeling well, it's important to take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself could be something as simple as going to your family doctor because your mood has been down for a month now or something's not feeling right. You could check in with somebody. It could just be as simple as getting more sunlight. Or maybe you're already on medication for depression. It needs to be that prescription needs to be changed. Or maybe it's just reaching out to a friend.

DeAnn Hunter: 9:58

But I think it's how we define mental health. There's the mental health, the medical piece, the psychiatry piece, and there's mental health, the social piece. You should never be afraid to ask for help Just because you don't have a substance use issue which can be very acute and can be life-threatening for so many. It might be high anxiety, but that's just as important because it's your mental health. It's how you show up every day, it's how you get out of bed and go to work in the morning, and that's so important. We all have mental health. We don't all have cancer, we don't all have children, but we all have mental health. So it's important to treat mental health just as it is.

Kristy Wolfe: 10:35

On that note, I think that it's really important to talk about mental health. When we're feeling well as well. People know what the strategies are that they can use, what the organizations are that they can access when things aren't going so well. Having those conversations about the Mental Health Foundation, learning more when you're in a good place so you can either support yourself or support somebody you love when things aren't going as well, how can people give, amplify or connect with the Mental Health Foundation?

DeAnn Hunter: 11:05

There's so many ways. One great way coming up is we have our annual fundraising breakfast. It's on February 27th, which is a Tuesday, at 7 o'clock at the Edmonton Convention Center. At 7 in the morning. I'll put up a bed early, grab a coffee and come down so you can buy tickets online and you can attend virtually or in person. This year's speaker is all about anxiety and why it's good for you even though it feels bad. There are so many incredible benefits to anxiety. To your point earlier when you're feeling well, you should be talking about it too. When you're not feeling well, you should be talking about it, but also looking at there's a lot of positive to living a good life with mental illness. Having anxiety is not always bad. It can motivate you to actually make positive change. Her name is Dr Tracy Dennis- Tiwary and she'll be an amazing speaker to talk about something that I think as a world, we're really struggling with right now, especially coming out of COVID what does anxiety mean to us and how do we make it work for us as society?

Kristy Wolfe: 12:03

I appreciate that. Actually, I bought my virtual ticket today because I'm not in Emitan, but I would like to see your speaker and learn a bit more about what's happening in the Mental Health Foundation. I will include a link to the Mental Health Foundation's breakfast in the show notes for this. Are there other ways that people can support?

DeAnn Hunter: 12:19

Absolutely. We are always taking donations from our website and just go online and donate through our online form. We have legacy giving. That's a really great way. I know when I was early in my career I donated through legacy giving. In my will I have several community agencies named that will receive money when I pass away. That's a really great way for individuals starting out of their career or youth who want to give back, who benefited from kickstand or another service. That's another way you can give. You can hold a community event yourself and you can do it maybe in memory of somebody.

DeAnn Hunter: 12:53

Individuals who have family members who've died by suicide and want to have their legacy live on. They'll have a community event run through the Foundation. We're doing a campaign right now with the Edmonton Construction Association. Organizations can come to us and we'll work with them on looking at ways to give to their sector or organization like Edmonton Construction Association. They have, I think, a high rate of depression and suicide in that industry, looking at ways that we can come together and raise money for parts of our economy that we don't necessarily talk about. Education is not something you sit down and say, oh yeah, did you know about mental health of the individuals working in the construction industry. No, I didn't. It's also raising money and raising awareness. There's so many ways that mental health foundation can work with you and how you can make impact in the mental health space.

Kristy Wolfe: 13:41

I appreciate that, because we know kickstand is focused on 11 to 25-year-olds, but mental health is across the lifespan. Recognizing that in certain industries, mental health isn't a conversation, it's just starting to be a conversation. That's a really good point that you made about contacting the mental health foundation and finding out about programs that might fit your industry as well. Thank you for that. All right, deanne. Tell us about an organization or a person who inspires you in the work that they do, maybe in mental health specifically.

DeAnn Hunter: 14:11

Oh, that's a good question. I would say my little sister, her big brother's big sister. So she is no longer little, she's over 30 and she's married with a little baby. We are matched for about 10 years and I think I learned more from her than I did from anybody else. I think it's just this incredible human being and it just opened my eyes to there's a whole world out there that I wasn't even aware of. Every day she taught me something new and she went on just to be quite a success in life and I'm just really proud of her. She taught me don't be too quick to judge and always see the good in everybody, and she was the reason that I realized building community is so important, because everybody deserves to feel connected and living the community where they're valued.

Kristy Wolfe: 14:59

That's a great way to segue into the idea that find an organization that's doing something that you care about and send them an email, call them, ask how you could get involved. It might be partnering and volunteering your time. Not everybody is able to make a financial contribution. If there is an organization doing the work that you love, reach out and see what options you do have for connecting with them and supporting the work that they do, because, who knows, one day you might end up at their board chair, you might end up working for them, but I think that it really does connect us to our communities in a way that we don't always have access through just a job. So thank you for talking about that volunteer experience as well. You're the first person that we've had that's been a board member. Come on the podcast. So do you have any advice that people are interested in joining a board? Is there anything that you would tell them?

DeAnn Hunter: 15:48

Yeah, I think my advice is a board is a lot of work. When I was in my 20s, I wanted to make impact at the front line. So I was a big sister. That was hands-on opportunity to work with a little girl. As I got old, I had a skill set, you know, I had a master's in business and I worked in governance in large organizations. So I thought, hey, I can contribute to the governance lens of mental health, which is how do we come together as a board and govern the fundraising of mental health, which is an extremely important, important cause right now.

DeAnn Hunter: 16:26

Like I said earlier, everybody has mental health and we have to come together and be better in terms of what impact are we making on individuals who need access to mental health services. So I think my advice is, if you're looking to have impact, figure out if it's at the front line and what you have to give, or if you have that governance background. It's a lot of work to come to a table and roll up your sleeves and govern from the strategic lens in terms of what's that direction or setting the strategic direction for the foundation. That's a lot of work for a board of volunteers to come together and do. And then we have this incredible team of employees with the Mental Health Foundation who go out and make the magic happen every day. So my advice is make sure you know what you're getting into and where your skill set is, because it's a lot of work, it's absolutely so much fun and you make such an incredible impact because you're setting the direction that you have to be ready for.

Kristy Wolfe: 17:19

DeAnn, thank you so much for coming on and talking to us today about the Mental Health Foundation. I am looking forward to learning even more about Kickstand and how the Mental Health Foundation has been supporting, as well as attending the Mental Health Foundation's fundraising breakfast on February 27th. So thanks again. Thank you, I appreciate it. Thanks for joining us today. The purpose of the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation is to give, amplify and connect. Visit our website, www. wolfepackwarriors. com to learn more about this initiative or connect with us about a registered charity that is important to you. Don't miss the next episode. Follow, give, amplify, connect on your favorite podcast platform to hear from other Alberta-based nonprofits about the work they are doing. On a final note, remember to take care of yourself and your pack.

Intro: 18:09

Okay, you're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. Hush, my darling, gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay.