Dr. Brian Rush presented a Review of Addiction Services in the North East Region to the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) Board of Directors at their meeting held yesterday, says a news release.
Engaged by the North East LHIN, Dr. Rush undertook this comprehensive analysis of strengths, gaps, and challenges faced by Northerners accessing addiction services. Access, coordination and system sustainability are three themes of the report’s findings which are in keeping with the NE LHIN’s current priorities for enhanced patient care across Northeastern Ontario.
“This is the deepest dive into a region’s addiction services that has been undertaken for some time in Ontario, perhaps ever,” said Dr. Rush, a Scientist Emeritus and former Head of Health Systems Research at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). “The region has many strengths to build on and at the same time there is room to fill some gaps in the service continuum, as well as improve access and coordination of services for Northerners.”
The review contains a series of recommendations (read the Regional Executive Summary or go to www.nelhin.on.ca) including:
- Planning: Strengthen regional planning, ensure First Nations representation, and bring hospital and community providers together to build a common vision that focuses on client needs. Explore ways to recruit and retain bilingual professionals and encourage providers to seek French Language Services designation.
- Hospital/Community: Focus on collaborative care for the percentage of clients who require medical intervention, and support people primarily in their community. Ensure that the transitions between hospital and community care are seamless.
- Residential Treatment: It is important that clients are carefully matched to the most appropriate care. There is a tendency to send more people to residential treatment programs compared to out-patient treatment, which has been proven to have many benefits. There is also a need to ensure transition care plans are in place when clients return home.
- Withdrawal Management: Enhance “in-house” medical supports.
- Addiction Medicine: Ensure that people accessing opioid medication assisted treatment have appropriate access to counselling services.
- Community Treatment: Invest in outreach, day/evening treatment programs, and transportation.
“I commend Dr. Rush and his team for undertaking this significant review and want to thank all Northerners who participated in, and contributed to, this comprehensive report,” said Danielle Bélanger-Corbin, Chair of the North East Board of Directors. “As always, we will work with our partners to ensure action takes place based on the review’s findings so Northerners can benefit from more coordinated and strengthened addiction services.”
The Board heard that a call is being issued to strike a new North East Mental Health and Addictions Collaborative, reporting to the North East LHIN CEO, to develop a plan to implement the recommendations from Dr. Rush’s Addictions Review along with those outlined in a mental health Blueprint undertaken by Health Sciences North and North Bay Regional Health Centre earlier this year.
In pulling together the Collaborative, the North East LHIN is looking for a mix of people with the following experience:
- people with personal “lived experience” as well as their family/caregivers;
- senior leaders working in both hospital and community mental health and addiction settings;
- First Nations/Aboriginal/Métis people;
- Francophones;
- primary care providers;
- addiction medicine providers.
In selecting applicants, the LHIN will also ensure there is geographic representation from its five hub planning areas – Sudbury/Manitoulin/Parry Sound, Nipissing/Temiskaming, Cochrane, Algoma, and James/Hudson Bay Coastal Communities.
Interested Northerners should visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/L3GKDMK to apply. Application deadline is June 30, 2016.
