Health News For Champlain
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Pembroke Regional Hospital
Additional Funding Helps Launch New Community Mental Health Services
PEMBROKE – Additional funding from the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) has allowed the Pembroke Regional Hospital to launch two new programs through its Community Mental Health Services branch which will greatly benefit clients and families dealing with mental health and addiction issues.
Community Mental Health Services Director Bernadette Wren acknowledged that the Hospital’s Community Mental Health program has long been recognized as a leader in the field which is why she was very pleased when asked by the LHIN to consult with clients and their families throughout the region in order to determine how existing services could be improved by developing low-cost and easy-to-implement programs.
In conjunction with the Champlain Addiction and Mental Health Network, more than 300 clients and family members were surveyed, yielding many ideas and suggestions, including the desire to have more guidance through the patient process, and having a structured process in place to ensure community-based services are easily accessed after discharge from hospital.
For the hospital-based component, additional funding in the amount of $230,000 is being used to train peer and family workers who will offer and provide support to those receiving care in the emergency and inpatient departments at Pembroke Regional Hospital, Montfort Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital’s two campuses, The Queensway-Carleton Hospital and Cornwall Community Hospital.
This program is already being piloted in two of the five hospitals and the plan is to expand now that the new funding has been received.
“For anyone coming into hospital with an addiction or mental health issue, it can be very stressful,” Ms. Wren said. “Having these peer and family workers there as a support in addition to the clinicians will make the overall experience better,” she said, explaining that those undergoing the training are former clients and family members themselves who know and understand the process and can both assist in understanding what is going on as well as providing emotional and morale support for both the patients and their families as needed.
The second program is designed as a “wellness check-in” after being discharged from an inpatient unit for mental health or addiction issues. Having received $70,000 in new funding for this service, the call-back program will be run as part of the existing Mental Health Crisis Line system.
Ms. Wren explained that, within a week of discharge, individuals who have agreed to receive a followup call, will be contacted by crisis line staff to see how they are doing, and if they are following action plans and attending appointments that may have be developed or made at the time of their discharge. In addition, clients can be linked with other community resources they may need and be given access to other services if necessary.
Ms. Wren said a one-month pilot project for the program yielded very positive feedback from all involved.
Community Mental Health Services of Renfrew County is a regional program run by Pembroke Regional Hospital and operated out of seven locations throughout Renfrew County including Arnprior, Renfrew (two sites), Barry’s Bay and Pembroke (three sites).
More than 3,000 clients are served each year in the areas of Acute Mental Health, Community Mental Health, Sexual Assault and Violence Against Women Counselling Services, and Geriatric Mental Health.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator
Pembroke Regional Hospital
(613) 732-3675, ext. 6165 / carolyn.levesque@pemreghos.org
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