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24 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 31, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Driving improvements to mental health services By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A hub-and-spoke delivery model should get local mental health services rolling to better efficiency. However, the wheel was not invented or perfected overnight. That was the news Jan. 21 when the Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) presented the findings of its massive community/consumer/provider consultation done since its inception nearly two years ago. The presentation was made by Diane Koz, who was senior lead for the local LHIN on mental health services and addictions through the consultation exercise. Koz reported the findings -- outlining the ideal to which the local mental health services will strive -- to the Consumer Advisory and Advocacy Committee (CAAC) headed by John Reynolds. The CAAC, an advisory committee to Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) when it comes to mental health services, meets nearly every month. It is comprised of consumers of the local mental health system, and their families, as well as Vivian Damian, director of mental health services for Halton Healthcare Services (HHS), including Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH), Milton District Hospital and Georgetown Hospital. To say that mental health services in Halton are complex is an understatement. The services function under the umbrella of the Mississauga Halton LHIN, which itself reaches into Etobicoke, but doesn't include Burlington (though Vivian Damian some local services do cross the boundary to the west). "I'll take you through some of the efforts that came forth through consulting with the community on the future of mental health services," said Koz. "I joined the LHIN 22 months ago. My background was in business, not health care, but I thought you could look at health care as a business. I very quickly found out I was wrong," said Koz. LHINs are relatively new inventions -- created by the provincial government and charged with the funding, planning and co-ordination of health care within specific geographic areas. Koz headed up the LHIN when it came to mental health and addictions segments of health care. Diane Koz The Mississauga Halton LHIN encompasses three municipalities and approximately 1.1 million people -- and it's growing. Koz reflected upon her move to Oakville in the early 1980s when the town's population was just under 70,000. Damian noted that OTMH was originally built to serve a community of approximately 6,000. After study, discussion and consultation through many layers of committees and public input, a model or ideal was constructed. "The model put out is a long-term goal. We can describe it and take many steps to get there," said Koz. That ideal includes what Koz calls a "central hub." While services exist in Oakville, Milton/North Halton, Halton Hills, Mississauga North, Mississauga South and South Etobicoke, Koz envisions items such as intake, marketing, communications, research, records, human resources, transportation and funding could be handled through the central hub. With 77 services -- from hospital and local psychiatrists, to community agencies, organizations and pro- KNEE, HEEL & ARCH PAIN ARE TREATABLE! Understanding the source of your foot and knee pain could lead to permanent relief. Book a consultation today! SALIMA KASSAM REG. CHIROPODIST NEW LOCATION Free Parking in front of office We Treat: · Diabetic Foot Care · General Care · Custom Made Foot Orthotics DENTURES tarting at S P Covered by most insurance companies. 379 905-815-8208 $ LIMITED TIME OFFER If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. 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"We'd like it so that it doesn't matter which door you access, it's the right door and that we connect everything so you are cared for within the community," outlined Koz. And despite all the best wish lists, some services will always be offered farther afield, noted Damian, pointing to an eating disorder clinic operated in Mississauga, or child psychiatrists that are only in Oakville and who handle referrals from Burlington's Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital. "We want to keep the family and the client at the centre of the conversation," assured Koz. And the LHIN recognizes, according to Koz, that service providers within the system can get stuck in their own "silo" of thought and that the habit needs to be bridged, if not breached. The LHIN is looking to examples such as The Common Roof in Barrie and is pinning high hopes on the co-location of various services, particularly that to take place in Oakville that should see the co-location of various agencies such as ADAPT (Halton Alcohol, Drug and Prevention Treatment), Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), STRIDE (Supported Training and Rehabilitation In Diverse Environments, SSO (Schizophrenia Society of Ontario) and supportive housing. Koz noted someone accessing one service, but needing assistance in some other capacity, say housing, need only walk downstairs rather than out into the community in search of another agency. Those community members attending the meeting drew attention to the need for education such as first aid in mental health situations, video game addiction, eating disorders and more. "It's a start," noted Koz, ending her presentation. Damian said HHS puts out mass mailings to all local family physicians on its eight out-patient mental health programs. The information is also available on its website and HHS has extended the hours of its Emergency Room team specializing in mental health issues. HHS is also offering what's dubbed "Sunday School" to Halton Regional Police Service officers to increase their training for mental health calls. Often the on-duty inspector or staff sergeant is also in touch with HHS to manage a call before it turns what Damian called "ugly." HHS also, on the recommendation of the CAAC, renovated its Emergency accommodation for mental health patients to make it a more friendly, less sterile environment. Damian also noted that OTMH has mental health teams that can attend at medical clinics to see patients at their family doctor's office. That is currently happening at the Dorval Clinic, said Damian, noting the team just wants to hear where it is needed. "We can send in our troops," said Damian, noting the OTMH "troops" are in good shape, having recruited four psychiatrists in the past year, and even adding a child psychiatrist to its ranks, both of which, Damian said, are "unheard of." So, against a backdrop of a huge bureaucracy, complexity of services and real and growing need in the community, Reynolds said the CCAC will continue along in search of improving local mental health services. It, too, is hoping to increase its mass by forming a supergroup that encompasses services and clients accessing hospitals in Mississauga, too. While service providers are welcome, Reynolds said it's hoped the CCAC will remain only "consumers" -- in recognition that the LHIN or service providers may not want to speak "harshly" to the provincial government, but the consumers will remain free to do so, if required.