Grant: Dissemination Events - PA: Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

The sooner an individual gets treatment for psychotic illnesses, such as schizophrenia, the better the treatment outcome is. In an effort to assist this goal, early intervention services have been set up across Ontario. However, studies of these services suggest that there is a greater delay between developing symptoms of psychosis and getting treatment for people of African and Caribbean origin than European Canadians. These delays may lead to more severe illness with worse outcomes and more involvement of emergency services and the criminal justice system. The ACE Pathways to Care project documented and compared the pathways taken to early intervention services for African, Caribbean and European origin Canadians living in Toronto and Hamilton. Furthermore, it looked at the different routes these ethnic groups took to getting care and why they took particular routes over others. The study results are now ready to be shared with healthcare providers, community agencies and policy makers in order to promote early treatment and better outcomes. By bringing together different stakeholders, this project will provide an opportunity for communities, clinicians and policy makers to learn about the key findings of the ACE Pathways to Care study and to engage in the subject in a public setting. To ensure the maximum impact of the study findings, knowledge will shared using two activities: A. Digital-Storytelling Workshops, where 3 minute digital movies will be created by study participants (e.g., clients and their family) as well as staff working in early intervention services. These digital stories will be used as a discussion tool during the forum, and; B. Knowledge Users Exchange Forum, a two-day meeting with the different stakeholders, which will form the basis of targeted interventions to increase health equity in Toronto and Ontario.