Submitted by: Yasmin Jetha, regional director, Mental Health and Addiction Services
On August 28, more than 100 staff attended a townhall discussion at VGH to learn more about tertiary mental health and seek answers to their questions.
But, first, Laura Case had a question of her own.
Asked if they, or anyone they knew, had ever been affected by a mental illness, close to 100 staff raised their hands.
Addressing the crowd before her, Vancouver’s operations director for Tertiary Mental Health and Addictions kicked off the discussion by asking staff to raise their hand if they, or anyone they knew, had ever been affected by a mental illness.
Almost everyone raised their hand.
Demystifying tertiary mental health
On June 25, Willow Pavilion’s team welcomed their first clients from Riverview to VGH. Together with Willow Chest, Willow Pavilion provides specialty care and rehabilitation — also known as tertiary mental health care — for people with complex mental illnesses.
“These clients are you, me, our neighbours and brothers and sisters,” said Laura.
While the VGH-based programs are the largest within VCH, VGH isn’t alone in opening new beds for tertiary mental health clients. This Fall, a 28-bed facility will open in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast.
Setting the stage for a lively Q & A, Colleen McCain and Neleena Popatia joined Laura to help demystify tertiary mental health. Neelena, a clinical nurse specialist, provided a staff perspective on the evolution of best practice; Colleen provided insight on the client perspective. As program coordinator of Adult Tertiary Mental Health Rehabilitation at Willow Chest, Colleen highlighted the progress many clients are making, and the hope they’re finding in their new home-like setting.
“The move to Willow Chest,” she explained, “has sparked the recovery process for a number of people we work with, and it’s really exciting to see.”
Staff questions covered broad range of topics
Following presentations, Laura opened the floor to staff questions, including:
- How do we refer patients?
- How are we working with client families?
- What should I do if I see someone behaving unusually or if I suspect elopement?
- How are we protecting staff safety?
- What recreational activities and resources are available to clients?
For answers to these and more questions, watch the townhall webcast (details below).
View the webcast
If you have Silverlight installed onto your desktop, use this link:
http://mediasite.mediagroup.ubc.ca/MediaGroup/Viewer/?peid=6ba309e844a940c491770d43588c49121d
If you’re using Classic Viewer, use this link:
http://mediasite.mediagroup.ubc.ca/MediaGroup/Viewer/?peid=9fc82b21c5134d96b4047c0006df8ad81d
Learn more about Willow Pavilion and tertiary mental health
- Q & As — answers to most common staff questions
- Willow Pavilion Overview — introduction to Willow Pavilion
- Willow Pavilion at a Glance — summary of programs and services by floor