The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Cochrane Timiskaming, Temiskaming Hospital, and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) - Temiskaming Detachment have been working collaboratively to identify improvement and integration opportunities to better serve patients living with mental health concerns and/or addictions.
We are pleased to announce that Temiskaming Hospital the CMHA and the OPP have partnered to implement an Integrated Mental Health and Addictions System Navigator role, located within the Hospital. The position, commenced December 2, 2019, is focused on improving transitions of care for patients with Mental Health and Addictions from hospital to the community setting.
Keys roles and responsibilities of the System Navigator position will include:
- Support for patients with mental health and addiction conditions presenting in the Emergency Department in an effort to redirect and connect (where appropriate) to community based resources/supports as an alternative to hospital admission.
- Support assessment and discharge planning for admitted patients improving transitions of care.
- Develop common care/communication/intervention plans for high risk/high use individuals.
- Provide follow up phone calls for patient discharged from hospital and high risk patients presenting to the Emergency Department.
- Promote community based services and access.
- Further Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine (RAAM) strategies and pathways for those most in need of rapid access to addiction medicine both at the hospital and in the community.
- Make recommendation and assist in defining/develop proactive joint response with OPP, as a second phase of initiative.
The System Navigator will focus on the most vulnerable, high risk and repeat Emergency Department users. It’s hoped this approach and partnership will reduce Emergency Department visits while supporting a more community based recovery model.
“This new Integrated position is a great example of three organisations coming together to address a growing need in our community” stated Mike Baker, President and CEO of the Temiskaming Hospital. “This will benefit patients by providing faster and more comprehensive access to care and will help the already crowded hospital by reducing the number of admissions we receive.” “Thank you to Erin Montgomery and her team for their work in pulling this together.”
“The System Navigator role is an essential part in coordinating services to ensure clients have the best experiences possible. When services are coordinated early and effectively, the outcomes for our shared clients are significantly better” stated Paul Jalbert, Executive Director of CMHA Cochrane Timiskaming Branch. “This initiative has been a collaborative project that would not have been possible without our partners at the Temiskaming Hospital.”
“The Ontario Provincial Police launched a mental health strategy back in 2015 and recognized the need for community partnerships in relation to mental health and addictions. The OPP continue to work diligently with the Temiskaming Hospital and the Canadian Mental Health Association who have been fantastic in engaging on this joint venture. This new position is an excellent opportunity for all agencies to work together and respond in a collaborative and efficient way that best addresses client’s needs. The impact of this new service will be significant for our community and we are very excited to continue to work with the Canadian Mental Health Association and Temiskaming Hospital to improve on the services we provide to our mental health clients” stated Adam Devost, Detective Sergeant, Area Crime Supervisor, Ontario Provincial Police, Temiskaming Detachments.