(Photo provided by Phil Dodd).
Keystone Child, Youth & Family Services has started a new position to take pressure off the healthcare system in Grey Bruce.
The Children’s Mental Health Lead Agency for Grey and Bruce County created a System Navigator position that will work with emergency departments when children show up while in the middle of a mental health crisis.
Executive Director of Keystone Phil Dodd says, how the position works, is when a child shows up when facing mental health issues, the System Navigator will work to assign that child and their family a clinician from Keystone and they will work virtually to overcome the child’s crisis by developing a treatment plan.
“The increase in numbers of young people being seen in the 11 emergency rooms within our communities has prompted us to pivot in how we are managing the increased demands on the health care system,” says Dodd. “With ever increasing pressures in the hospitals to manage and deal with Covid related situations, it is essential to address the acute care mental health needs of our young people in a timely manner and use our community based services to take the pressure off our hospital partners.”
Dodd says their aim is to assign a child a clinician from Keystone within the first hour of them showing up for help in an ER. “There is a risk assessment that is completed by our clinician, and then we will transition the family into our council service or live-in treatment service.”
Using the funding from the Ministry of Health to operate the position, which costs about $80,000, anyone who is assigned to work with Keystone will not have to worry about fees, as Dodd says it does not cost a thing.
Dodd notes he feels many people are struggling with mental health issues due to the pandemic but are not aware of the services available to them.
“There are many people that are struggling and they don’t know where to reach out and where to get help, and that’s something as a community, the entire mental health and addictions community in grey bruce through the hospital systems, through the Canadian Mental Health Association, through the school board, social work departments and others are working really hard to make sure people know where to go for the right service at the right time.”
More details about seeking help for your child in crisis can be found on the Keystone website.
