Wait times for child and youth mental health care have dropped by 73% at CHEO and 91% at The Royal compared to 2014/15 waits, according to the Young Minds Partnership Annual Report Card released today. This dramatic improvement comes despite increased demand — referrals are up 25% at CHEO and 73% at The Royal — and frozen provincial funding for outpatient services.
See the full Young Minds Partnership Annual Report Card 2016/17
In 2015/16, the Young Minds Partnership (YMP) started a new mental health-care delivery system called the Choice and Partnership Approach (CAPA). The CAPA model puts patients and families at the centre of care, empowering them to choose the right clinicians and care plans based on individual strengths and goals.
The YMP has also been working to extend care beyond the walls of CHEO and The Royal and address the increasingly complex mental health challenges young people face today.
CHEO’s Project ECHO is providing training in delivering child and youth mental health treatment in primary care practices across Ontario. Head to Toe at CHEO is a pilot project to screen for suicidal thoughts in every youth (12 and older) who is admitted to the hospital for any reason. This program will catch thoughts of self-harm early and help youth before problems reach a crisis level.
Psychiatrists at The Royal are bringing help closer to home for transitional aged youth through a new telemedicine clinic. The Royal has also created a day program to support youth who have experienced psychosis - the group program provides ongoing medical and social support that helps youth achieve and maintain recovery.
The YMP has a five-year strategic plan, born out of a growing demand for improved mental health services for Ontario’s children and youth. Over 800 mental health professionals, physicians, community groups, researchers, children, youth and families were consulted in developing the YMP Strategic Plan 2015-2020.
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Media contacts
Paddy Moore
Strategic Communications Advisor
CHEO
m. 613-769-5553
pmoore@cheo.on.ca
Karen Monaghan
Communications Manager
The Royal
m. 613-868-3740
Karen.Monaghan@theroyal.ca
About CHEO – OCTC
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre (CHEO –OCTC) is the leading provider of specialized pediatric health services in Canada's capital. CHEO’s programs help over 500,000 children and youth each year in Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, Nunavut and parts of Northern Ontario. As a world-class research centre and teaching hospital, for over 40 years CHEO has changed young lives in our community, while our innovations change young lives around the world. For more than 65 years, OCTC has been providing specialized care for children and youth with disabilities, including cerebral palsy, complex needs associated with congenital conditions, developmental delay, autism spectrum disorders and brain injury. The two previously separate organizations recently joined forces to become one organization, stronger together for kids and families.
About The Royal
The Royal is one of Canada’s foremost mental health care, teaching and research hospitals. Its mandate is simple: to help more people living with mental illness into recovery faster. The Royal combines the delivery of specialized mental health care, advocacy, research and education to transform the lives of people with complex and treatment-resistant mental illness. The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research is affiliated with the University of Ottawa. The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health raises funds that support The Royal’s work. The Royal places a sharp focus on awareness building through the You Know Who I Am campaign and public education initiatives like Conversations at The Royal and Is It Just Me? Conversations about Youth Mental Health. For more information, please visit www.theroyal.ca.
Psychiatrists at The Royal are bringing help closer to home for transitional aged youth through a new telemedicine clinic. The Royal has also created a day program to support youth who have experienced psychosis — the group program provides ongoing medical and social support that helps youth achieve and maintain recovery.