|
|
| |||||
 |
|
|
|||
| |||||
 |
|||||
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 |
Subscribe | News Research Centre | Place a Classified Ad | Advertise | |
|
|
A legacy of frozen budgets, long waiting lists and services gaps make reforming children's mental health care daunting
Fixing the system
(Editor's note: The Free Press is not using the last names of the families profiled in this series, to protect the privacy of their children).
"I think all of us wish we could get there more quickly, but we are just going to have to do it right," Deb Matthews said. Matthews, the London-North-Centre Liberal MPP, said the problem with the children's mental health system is there hasn't been an actual system in Ontario. But before the province can take action, it needs to understand what services are being provided by what agency, she said. Studies on children's mental health have documented shortages of mental health experts, long waiting lists and fragmented programs. London surgeon Dr. Kellie Leitch, special adviser on children's health to the federal government, has called for creation of a wait-time system to measure how long kids wait for help. "We've been very successful in the pediatric surgery realm by having a pediatric wait-times program. I believe the same could be emulated in the mental health sector for children and youth and I think it has to be," Leitch said. A pilot program launched in London this fall by the province aims to use schools as a hub for agencies that provide mental health services. The idea is to give parents a one-stop shop for services, said Scott Hughes, superintendent of education at the Thames Valley District school board. "We are really not trying to make them jump through hoops, but we are, we are fragmented," said Hughes. One measure the school boards and agencies are working on is to come up with common forms for parents to fill out. Now, each agency has its own forms and definitions for disorders. "It may seem simple, but I think it could go a long way," Hughes said. Schools have changed their approach to handling behavioural problems, often rooted in mental health problems, he said, citing the case of a student with an anxiety disorder. "In a regular secondary school setting, she would walk in, freak out in the hallways, couldn't handle any large classes, couldn't handle any perceived confrontation with the teacher. "After several kinds of run-ins with school staff, vice-principal and principal, she decides she is dropping out of school." Hughes said the board was able to convince the student to attend one of its alternative sites off campus, a storefront operation. "You walk in the door, there is a fireplace going, you can smell the coffee and muffins. It isn't the average high school. She is very comfortable there, gets her stuff done, she will graduate. Chances of her graduating at the regular secondary school were minimal because of mental illness," he said. "This isn't a revolution, it is an evolution. We are evolving to provide kids with better services." One major limitation for children's mental health -- not enough specialists -- is being tackled with technology, said Dr. Margaret Steele, chair-person of the division of child psychiatry at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Using the Child and Parent Resource Institute in London as the base, child psychiatrists are using tele-psychiatry -- video technology that links psychiatrists with patients across the region. Steele said the program has significantly improved access to children's psychiatrists. John Miner is The Free Press health reporter.
Home
|
News
|
Opinion
|
Today
|
Sports
|
Business
|
Classifieds
Place an Ad | Subscribe | Become a Carrier | Your Newspaper
|
|
 |
E-MAIL: John Miner