Canadian Mental Health Association, Lambton Kent (CMHA LK) and Chatham Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) have partnered with Medavie EMS Ontario, Chatham-Kent (Medavie), to increase the identification, referral, and treatment for patients who require mental health services.
This unique partnership is a result of the work taking place with the Chatham-Kent Health Link initiative (CK HL).
The CK HL is focused on improving service coordination for individuals who utilize the top 1-5% of healthcare resources in Chatham-Kent. “As we investigated who those people were and what gaps in services existed, it was very apparent that mental illness was a common unmet need,” states Paula Reaume-Zimmer, Integrated Director of Operations, Mental Health and Addictions, CKHA and CMHA LK. “We are always looking to work with new partners, especially ones who have contact with individuals that we, as mental healthcare providers do not typically have a connection with.”
Canadians who report symptoms of depression also report experiencing three times as many chronic physical conditions as the general population. When a paramedic is called to a residence to address a physical health concern, their main responsibility is to ensure that concern is addressed, however; through their assessment in the home, they often observe mental health conditions that do require attention.
Given the strong relationship between chronic physical health conditions and mental illness, the partners recognized an opportunity to include the paramedics as a referral source, who can further support the healthcare needs of these individuals. “This program is an excellent example of innovation and collaboration by using existing resources to better integrate care in our community” states Steve Pancino, General Manager with Medavie EMS Ontario. “It’s a unique partnership, the very first of its kind in Ontario”.
This partnership now provides an opportunity for Medavie paramedics to refer patients to the Rapid Assessment, Intervention and Treatment (RAIT) Program of CMHA LK. The ESC LHIN-funded RAIT Program uses a team approach to care, offering patients access to nurses, social workers, client care assistants, therapist and psychiatrist. Once the paramedic completes the referral, the client is assessed within 72 hours and services are then put into place. The goal of this partnership is to increase early identification of mental illness and reduce the need for patients to have to go to the Emergency Department for mental health services.
To kick off the partnership, 95 paramedics in Chatham-Kent received education about the RAIT Program and a general introduction to mental illness at a training session during the month of October.
At the end of the education session, Constable Brent Milne from CK Police Services shared his experience as an officer who works closely with mental health services “through this training, officers are able to recognize symptoms of mental illness allowing them to make appropriate referrals within the community. This has resulted in a decrease of calls to the same residence. Fewer calls mean that officers can focus on their job – public safety – and let mental health care providers do their job.”
This initiative allows the paramedics to better identify patient care needs and provides them with direct access to the resources, such as the RAIT, that will improve the patient’s outcomes and experiences with the healthcare system. “Much like the experience we’ve had working with police services, this partnership with Medavie paramedics further extends the eyes and ears for mental illness in our community and will improve the healthcare systems collective response for individuals requiring our services,” concluded Reaume-Zimmer.
Photo: From left, Becky Elgie, Integrated Manager of Urgent Services; Justin Babkirk, Client Care Assistant and Chelsea Skipper, Client Care Assistant present the Rapid Assessment, Intervention and Treatment Program (RAIT) to local Medavie Emergency Medical Staff.
