There is power in numbers and value in knowledge shared.

Ranch Ehrlo Society first connected with Ontario child and youth mental health organization Lutherwood in 2013 at an invitational symposium on adolescent neuroscience and mental health.

The networking opportunity transformed into an occasion to share knowledge and resources as Ranch Ehrlo acted as a host agency to one of Lutherwood’s team members.

The Ranch is hosting Tana Nash from Oct. 27^th to 30^th, introducing her to Saskatchewan organizations and individuals working in the area of child and adolescent mental health to share an online mental health resource toolkit.

Tana is the executive director of both the Waterloo Region and the Ontario Suicide Prevention councils, a member of the National Suicide Prevention Strategic Steering Committee, and now a co-lead on the UMIND project; an online resource that links children’s mental health and other professionals to the resources they need to support children, youth, and families struggling with mental health issues.

“This was an exciting opportunity for Ranch Ehrlo,” said Linda Meyer, vice-president of clinical services. “Tana is well connected to mental health groups across Canada and possesses a wealth of information related to youth struggles and youth suicide interventions.”

Two years ago, Tana was part of a cross country journey to learn about what is happening related to children’s mental health in most provinces and to start gathering best/promising practices and practical resources regarding children’s mental health and substance use treatment from mental health agencies throughout Canada.

In 2013, Lutherwood, in partnership with Kids’ Health Foundation, launched UMIND.ca with the goal of enhancing awareness and understanding of children’s mental health, improving service delivery, and decreasing the mental health stigma. Today, the website provides 275 mental health professionals from over 100 organizations with practical models, proven tools, and educational opportunities. Soon it will include a webinar series to add a new dimension to sharing knowledge for the benefit of children and youth across Canada.

“There are 80 different contributing partners across Canada sharing a variety of resources including assessment tools, intake forms, policies and procedures, discharge forms, educational handouts, and more,” Tana said from Regina on Monday afternoon. “We're all trying to do more with less so if we can continue to share resources it can cut down on the time we spend on the creation process, and give us more time to spend on the implementation process.”

During her time in Saskatchewan, Tana will have the opportunity to meet the clinical team, and directors of Ranch Ehrlo and will be given a tour of the Pilot Butte, Corman Park, and Buckland campuses. Connections and presentations will be made with the Regina Health Region, University of Regina/First Nations University, Saskatoon Health Region, the Prince Albert Child and Youth Mental Health Services and others.

“We hope to see an increase in UMIND visitors and subscribers,” she said of the cross-country visit, “but we also hope to learn from professionals in Saskatchewan and share what they are doing.”