2012-10-18


The Conseil québécois d’agrément (CQA) awarded the Douglas Mental Health University Institute with Milieu Novateur certification at a recognition gala held yesterday in Lévis as part of the annual CQA conference. This certification recognizes the culture of innovation in Quebec health care organizations.

While the Douglas Institute as a whole has been recognized as a Milieu Novateur, three projects in particular drew the attention of the CQA based on their positive impact on staff, patients and families:

  1. The development of a culture of clinical ethics
  2. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for bipolar disorders
  3. Training to family caregivers at the Memory Clinic of the Geriatric Psychiatry Program.

While the first project stood out through its professional multidisciplinarity, the other two reflected the Douglas Institute's commitment to provide care and services that focus on patients and their families.

"The Douglas Institute is very proud to receive Milieu Novateur certification from the CQA," stated Lynne McVey, Executive Director of the Douglas Institute. "This honour is even more prestigious given that the Douglas is the first mental health institute to obtain this status. The Douglas Institute's reputation as a centre of excellence in mental health is based on its continuous ability to innovate in its areas of expertise: care, research and teaching. I am especially pleased that the true beneficiaries of the pioneering spirit and initiative that drives our health professionals, researchers and employees are patients and their families. We share this honour with them."

Dr. David Eidelman, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of Medicine at McGill University added, "Only four health care organizations have received Milieu Novateur certification. I am very pleased that the Douglas Institute is one of them, as innovation is the cornerstone of the partnership that unites McGill and the Douglas. Together, we are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and contributing to breakthroughs and advanced practices in mental health."

When considering an organization for Milieu Novateur certification, the CQA evaluates the following six criteria: (1) confidence (the strategic vision of senior management and managers); (2) decompartmentalization (interdisciplinarity and knowledge sharing internally and externally); (3) creativity; (4) audacity; (5) development; (6) identity (creation of an environment that is conducive to a culture of innovation).

Information

Anne Quirion
Communications and Public Affairs
Phone: 514-761-6131, extension 2717
Cell: 514-434-9990
anne_dot_quirion_At_douglas_dot_mcgill_dot_ca