In 2024, MDSC experienced another very impactful year. Our successes have been achieved through our people, partners, stakeholders and a collaborative effort.

This year we launched exciting new initiatives while continuing to provide and expand vital core programs. Ensuring all our work is grounded with the leadership of, and in collaboration with, Persons with Lived/ Living Experience (PWLE), we continue to offer programs and services that individuals and organizations can access from every Province and Territory in Canada.

As part of our recently unveiled Strategic and Sustainability Plans, MDSC is proud to publish our first ever Annual Report. The 2024 report is filled with financial information, program highlights and organizational achievements.

Be one of the first to read it by clicking the link below!

National Youth Advisory Council

The National Youth Advisory Council has hit the road! Establishing new collaborations and connecting with other like minded Youth Councils across the country, NYAC has been incredibly successful increasing their membership.

As a recent example, in January, members of NYAC attended the University of Guelph Volunteer Fair and recruited an additional 12 NYAC volunteers in the U of Guelph community. During the Volunteer Fair, NYAC also made several meaningful connections with other organizations in attendance.

NYAC has also been working diligently on a communications schedule. Semi-monthly newsletters have been scheduled, and submissions are being collected and reviewed for the NYAC Bloom Blog on an ongoing basis.

The NYAC newsletter is written and published by volunteer members of NYAC. Readers are encouraged to sign up for the newsletter by CLICKING HERE.

MDSC Veteran Programs

Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) is proud to have the opportunity to offer four support programs for Veterans and their Family Members.

1. Peer Support Training provides education and resources to participants as they develop their skills to offer informed Peer Support within their own communities. Peer Support Training is facilitated by MDSCs Peer and Trauma Support Services Team the facilitators are: Veterans, Veteran Family Members and Trauma Informed Mental Health Professionals;
2. Companionship Calls – which are an opportunity to have a social call with a caring volunteer/Veteran or Veteran Family Member;
3. Mental Health Resources – These materials are available in a variety of different formats and cover many areas, including: anxiety, bipolar disorder, cannabis, depression, OSIs, PTSD, sleep, infographics, and many other topics.
4. Veterans Volunteerism with MDSC, providing opportunities to Veterans to use their skills while giving back to other Veterans.

National projects include Improving Veterans Wellness, funded by Veterans Affairs Canada and the Veteran Volunteer Initiative, funded by the True Patriot Love Foundation. Ontario specific programming is also available and is funded by The Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Command.

Our funding partnerships have allowed MDSC to offer these programs at no fee to Veterans and their Family Members and MDSC has provided over 1650 touch points of service!

To register or obtain more information on these programs, please visit: VeteransPeerSupport.ca

Equitable Access to Medications For Those Who Need Them

MDSC continues to advocate for equitable access to medications for all Canadians who require them for their treatment. In 2024 we held a national health-system roundtable meeting and disseminated the resulting recommendation document in English and French to government and other stakeholders across the country, focusing on the need for greater front-line representation (PWLE and treating psychiatrists) in reimbursement recommendations.

Already some successes have been seen from our advocacy work as the first patient member was added to the national medication reimbursement Recommendation Board of Directors, and a psychiatrist was added to its Deliberative Committee for the first time.

Continuing to raise awareness of the issue, MDSC worked with PWLE and medical professionals on opinion-editorials and advertorials that reached over 5 million Canadians and appeared in multiple media outlets such as The National Post, Healthing, iHeart Radio, CBC Radio Canada, Calgary Herald, Hamiliton Spectator, The Hill Times (p. 7), and many more. A full listing of campaign media coverage is available on the Access to Medications webpage.

To further implement actions outlined in the roundtable recommendation document, MDSC is convening a multi-stakeholder working group in 2025.

To find out more about the 2024 Roundtable and the actions of the upcoming 2025 Working Group, visit the Access to Medications webpage by CLICKING HERE.