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The Mental Health Program is composed of a 26-bed inpatient
unit, a rehabilitation program that accommodates between 80 and 100 patients, a
psychogeriatric service, an emergency room crisis service and an outpatient service. Our
mandate is to provide psychiatric services to a sectorized population of about 85,000
citizens.
In the last three years, we have adopted the "virage
communautaire" to develop an integrated emergency and crisis service to provide
care rapidly and appropriately to patients in urgent need of intervention. This allowed us
to allocate new resources for the severe mentally ill in order to make it possible
for them to remain in the community. |
This objective was attained with the injection
of additional funds granted to the program by the Régie Régionale for the specific
purpose of transforming our orientation from an institutional model of mental illness to a
community-based service. Six additional staff members have been hired within the last
three years and existing services have been restructured into a team model.
We are now assessing the patients within their
family and community settings by developing a strategic systemic approach with individuals
requesting our psychiatric expertise. This is achieved by linking with outside
organizations, visiting the patients in their homes, offering psychoeducational programs
to patients and families, and lately, by providing specific care for workers temporarily
affected by mental illness such as a burnout.
Recognizing the need for ongoing change, two additional proposals have
been submitted to the Régie Régionale in order to continue the reintegration of
the mentally ill into the community. If these plans are approved, we hope to add nine
staff members to our team and develop a Day Hospital as well as a program for assertive
community living.
Last updated on March 14, 2007
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