4. Embedding mental health and home care in primary care
- Release date:
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This webinar will be available for a limited time after the conference- don't miss it on Wednesday October 25th during the conference!
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- Style: Presentation (information provided to audience, with opportunity for audience to ask question)
- Focus: Research/Policy (e.g. Presentation of research findings, analysis of policy issues and options)
- Target Audience: Leadership (ED, clinical lead, board chair, board member, etc.) , Clinical providers
Learning Objectives
The purpose of this presentation is to share our team’s strategies, actionable measures and general framework we implemented to ensure that all STAR FHT patients requiring mental health supports receive these through the team’s mental health navigation process. At the end of this session, the learner will gain knowledge about the:
- Program framework implemented in mental health navigation
- Key actions to implement to adopt a similar model within a Family Health Team.
- Important metrics to capture to elucidate gaps and build measures to create sustained change.
Summary/Abstract
The wide skill base of our team’s mental health providers to offer to our team’s patients diverse counselling supports, assessments (ADHD, psych-educational) as well as creative wellness programs, in the areas of mindfulness, CBT-I, Coping Skills to name just a few, have come to be known as standard measures in care as the entire team strives to always provide a holistic approach to their patients needs. The STAR FHT is committed to quality improvement initiatives and innovative program development responding to the issues that face this patient population. One of these identified issues which is pervasive across this team and even identified both regionally and on provincial level, is the increasing patient burden of mental health needs that is challenging our team’s skills and overwhelming the basic provisions of family medicine practice. A recent EMR search indicates that 12% of the STAR FHT patient population has noted in their problem list a concern related to anxiety, depression or both. A survey of Huron Perth residents (report March, 2021) as part of the United Way/Social Planning & Research council and the University of Guelph (Rural Response to Covid-19 Mental Health Across Huron Perth, March 2021) a snap shot of the results, for example, indicate “100% increase in self-identifying males ages 18-29 report poor mental health” and “45% decrease in ‘excellent’ self-assessed mental health.” Potentially adding to the identified mental health issues as reported by “United Way-Huron Perth- “Unignorable Issues” state that the “daily struggle to make ends meet is a source of tremendous stress and anxiety”… and report that “57% of people with incomes in Perth-Huron earn less than a living wage ($35,262 annually).” The issues that face our patients today is a genuine concern to our team’s clinical staff as they know too well the correlation between patients’ experiencing mental health issues, poverty and overall well-being. In an effort to better support patients’ mental health needs the team has created a dedicated role in the area of mental health navigation. A model in care that provides people, experiencing mental health issues and related concerns, supports to address their unmet non-clinical needs. The team’s navigator links patients to trusted and relevant community services and supports in a timely manner. Program Framework and Key Actions: The team embraces the philosophy of a systems thinking approach that acknowledge the community partner agencies and their efforts to support this continuum of excellence to improve a patient’s mental health. Patients identified with any mental health needs are given the necessary resources which includes meeting with our team’s mental health navigator. The patient can be referred through our “Programs Page” in the EMR, to the team’s mental health scheduler. The navigator meets with the patient and mutually identify the main concerns. Depending on the resources of the patient, steps are outlined on how to resolve the issues, in a timely manner, in an effort to connect the individual with resources in the community to assist in making notable change. The patient receives follow-up with the navigator as needed to promote positive outcomes and enhance overall patient well-being. This model of mental health navigation and the success it has achieved in supporting patient needs at the same time decreasing physician/clinical team burden, has now received the attention from other FHTs who also face the same patient issues. There is now an interest to come together and share resources, best-practice etc. and support generative discussion on better addressing mental health needs in the huron-perth region.
Presenters
- Teresa Barresi BSc RN MHS Primary Clinical Team Coordinator STAR FHT
Authors
- Teresa Barresi BSc RN MHS Primary Clinical Team Coordinator STAR FHT