Population Health Fund

PHFN FUNDING PRIORITIES

Population Health Fund
National Management and Program Services Directorate
Public Health Agency of Canada

HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

Depression affects many Canadians, as well as their family members and colleagues. Seventy per cent who experience symptoms do not seek help from health care professionals. Of those, half say they would prefer to manage their depression themselves.

Priority for action in this area include the following:

Mental Health - Self-Help for Managing Symptoms of Depression

There is a need to develop a strategy to support people experiencing depression. It should be an accessible, self-help strategy based on proven therapeutic approaches such as cognitive-behavioural therapy. The strategy would include the development and testing of tools, the testing of delivery systems, and a plan for evaluating the benefits to the participants and the support systems required to implement the strategy. Resources should be tailored to the age and gender of the participants and sensitive to the severity of symptoms. The use of new technologies (such as the Internet) and interactive technologies (e.g., technologies that engage the user through mechanisms to provide feedback, exchange information, rate progress or offer encouragement) is strongly encouraged. Promotion of the initiative through the workplace, health care professionals and communities would be important. Issues of lifestyle, help-seeking and immediate support should be addressed.

BEST PRACTICES

In response to the PHFN's program evaluation and stakeholder consultation, this solicitation supports the continuation of successfully completed PHFN-funded projects that fit a current priority through the theme of Best Practices.

The PHFN defines Best Practices as having four elements:

1. innovative - they have developed new and creative solutions;
2. make a difference - they have demonstrated a positive impact;
3. sustainable - they continue even after the original funding has ended; and
4. potential for replication - they can serve as models for generating policies and initiatives in various locations.

Proposals for best practices projects should focus on one of the following options:

1. strengthening the evaluation component of a completed project that has the potential to be identified as a best practice; or
2. supporting the replication of a completed project that has already undergone a rigorous evaluation and could be considered a best practice.

Back to previous page