After receiving a $28,500 grant from RBC Foundation, the Sault Area Hospital Foundation (SAHF) is now able to invest in ways to virtually connect youth to local mental health and addictions support services.
The official announcement from SAHF came Saturday, marking World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10).
With cases of COVID-19 on the rise in Ontario, having to visit a hospital can be a major extra cause of anxiety for those going through a mental health crisis.
The SAH Mental Health and Addictions virtual care project will put more technology into the hands of crisis service workers, enabling them to take care to the patient in the community instead of having to bring the patient to the hospital.
The technology will also help patients who have been admitted to the hospital for mental health reasons to stay connected to family and friends outside the hospital’s walls while visitor restrictions are still in place.
“Our goal is to bring specialized mental health and addictions care closer to home. This equipment will reduce the barriers in accessing specialized care, and is intended to reduce the number of unnecessary trips to the emergency department for assessment,” stated Lisa Case, SAH mental health and addictions clinical director in a news release.
SAH says it recognizes there will always be people who need inpatient care, but delivering specialized care for people with mental health and addictions issues through virtual ‘house calls’ will provide a more convenient approach for patients.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, this support couldn’t have come at a better time. RBC’s commitment to breaking down barriers and making youth mental health services more accessible was a perfect fit for this project,” said Teresa Martone, SAHF executive director.
”Reaching young people virtually to provide this essential service makes sense given the level of comfort they have with digital channels, and may also help mitigate any stigma they may feel associated to accessing care for their addictions and mental health concerns,” said Scott Simon, RBC Northern Lakes regional vice president.
