Pilot project aims to treat Montreal mental health patients at home, not the ER
Quebec is hoping to expand on a new model of care for patients in the emergency room experiencing a mental health crisis.
The model has been in place at Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal for several months, and on Monday, Health and Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant announced a plan to expand the measures to other hospitals.
A "brief intervention team" will now care for patients in crisis who need to be stabilized.
The measure, said Carmant, will free up beds for more severe psychiatric cases.
"They can have 48 to 72 hours in a unit of intensive short intervention, so you can avoid hospitalization," he said.
The goal is to make hospitalization a last resort.
All patients leaving the hospital receive follow-up care in the community to ensure no one falls through the cracks.
Those who need it can have access to a measure called "psychiatric home hospitalization," where the patient will be visited at their home by a nurse, a psychiatrist, or social worker up to three times a day for six to eight weeks.
"It can prevent long hospitalization and can help the team as well observe what's happening at the house of the patients. And it leads to a better interaction between family and the treating team," explained Carmant.
Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant (Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press)
The pilot project started at in January, and Notre-Dame Hospital said about 90 per cent of those receiving home care did not return to the ER.
The care people receive is also more targeted, explained Dr. Cedric Andres, chief of psychiatry at the Notre-Dame Hospital.
"We are treating the right patient at the right moment, at the right place. This is the difference. So the quality of the care is vastly increased," he said.
Advocates in Quebec have often criticized a lack of mental health resources and long wait times.
Notre-Dame recruited about 10 employees for its brief intervention team and another 40 for its home hospitalization team.
Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal (CTV News)
Carmant said he's optimistic other hospitals will be able to do the same.
"Well, those are innovative initiatives which lead to recruitment. People are excited about these new programs. And the team here did an unbelievable team and unbelievable work and being able to recruit, without decreasing services elsewhere," he said.
Carmant said he hopes to eventually expand programs like these to hospitals throughout the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
DEVELOPING Hamas accepts Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza, prompting Israel to say it would send a delegation to negotiate – though it warned the proposal remained far from the 'necessary requirements.'
An American soldier was arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, U.S. officials say
An American soldier has been arrested in Russia and accused of stealing, according to U.S. officials. The soldier was stationed in South Korea and was in the process of returning home to the United States, but travelled to Russia.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Competition Bureau launches inquiry into Lululemon over 'greenwashing' allegations
Canada's Competition Bureau has launched an inquiry into Vancouver-based Lululemon following a complaint from members of an environmental group.
NDP calls out Conservatives for effort to quash pharmacare legislation
The federal New Democrats are calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party for trying to block the bill that could pave the way for millions of Canadians to access birth control and diabetes coverage.
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc tabled legislation in the House of Commons on Monday proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Bill C-70 proposes to enact a new 'Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act.'