Wordfest presents Dr. David Goldbloom

Wordfest presents Dr. David Goldbloom

Wordfest’s Imagine On Air is honoured to present leading psychiatrist and mental health care advocate Dr. David Goldbloom and his timely new book We Can Do Better: Urgent Innovations to Improve Mental Health Access and Care. The hour-long conversation starts at 7:00 PM MT. and will be hosted by "Positive Disrupter" and social worker Monique Auffrey. (The pre-show begins at 6:50 PM.)

This livestream broadcast is free and if you RSVP, we'll send you a reminder on the day of the show, as well as our unique Digital Doggie Bag after the event with extras and links sparked by the conversation.

We are grateful to Simon & Schuster Canada for enabling us to connect you with Dr. Goldbloom.

About We Can Do Better: Urgent Innovations to Improve Mental Health Access and Care

“Anyone who, like me, has experienced mental illness, whose family has been affected, or who works in this critical field (have I missed anyone?) should read this great book. David Goldbloom is putting his knowledge to work in an engaging, thoughtful, and personal way. Bless him for sharing his wisdom and talent in a huge cause.”
— BOB RAE, Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations

A leading psychiatrist and expert reveals important issues in mental health care today and introduces innovations to revolutionize and improve mental health for everyone.

Mental health care systems are falling short and the consequences, for individuals and societies, are dire. In this urgent book, Dr. David Goldbloom outlines proven innovations in medicine and health care delivery that we all could benefit from today.

Using fictional — but all too real — examples of people suffering from various mental illnesses, from depression to opioid addiction, and drawn from his real-life experiences in this field, Dr. Goldbloom shows barriers to care and other faults in mental health care systems. He then reveals simple, yet startlingly effective tools for improving access and treatment that can help people now — if we only had the will to share, use, and fund these (and more) brilliant innovations:

•   Self-referrals for faster access to care
•   Apps and e-tools for treatment, rehabilitation, and self-monitoring between appointments
•   Remote coaching for effectively treating common childhood problems
•   Integrated youth services to improve early intervention
•   Personalized care to ensure treatments don’t fail patients
•   Rapid-access housing for the homeless and mentally ill so they can begin a journey of care

While technologies such as smart phones and genetic testing play a role, these innovations are about people. They address waiting times to see specialists, the lack of coordination between health care institutions, and the stigma that often comes with seeking help - even stigma among health care providers. They broaden the definition of what mental health care can even be, such as providing housing, or low-intensity training for day-to-day life.

Smart, candid, personal, and persuasive, this new book is a timely call for better access to and quality of help — a roadmap to better well-being for everyone.

About David Goldbloom

David Goldbloom, MD, is Senior Medical Advisor at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. He is a graduate of Harvard University, Oxford University (Rhodes Scholar), and McGill University. In 2007, he was appointed Vice-Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and served as Chair from 2012–2015. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He has authored over 100 scientific articles and book chapters, and edited two psychiatric textbooks. His first book, How Can I Help?, gave readers a humane behind-the-scenes account of a week in the life of a psychiatrist at one of Canada’s leading mental health hospitals. A noted public speaker, Dr. Goldbloom has received many awards for his contribution to the field of psychiatry, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He lives in Toronto.

About Monique Auffrey

Monique Auffrey has been a trailblazing CEO in the social profit environment for almost two decades. Her many accomplishments include introducing innovative social service and mental health programs to Family SOS in Halifax (and the Keeping Kids Safe in a Cyber World program) to transforming the lens and approach to domestic violence by focusing on children as CEO of Discovery House Family Violence Society in Calgary. Auffrey is the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Organization for Social Work; an International Advisory Board Member of the Global Institute for Social Work., and is a member of the Alberta Family Violence Death Review Committee.  In 2020 she was awarded the Women of Inspiration’s Advocate and Catalyst of Change Award. Find her on Twitter at @moniqueauffrey.

Buy Book

Owl's Nest Books | Shelf Life Books

Borrow the Book

Calgary Public Library