Starting last fall, the Douglas Hospital began participating in an innovative pilot project with CSSS South-West—Verdun and CSSS Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle. The project is designed to take the first steps towards the implementation of the 2005 –2010 Mental Health Action Plan (MHAP).

The project’s goal is to create two small-scale versions of the mental health teams that will be providing CSSS first-line services. Each of these two teams are comprised of four to five Douglas staff members and two to three CSSS clinical staff members. These team members are currently dedicating one half-day per week to the project.

Each of the teams have applied for $250,000 in grant funding from the Programme national de soutien à l’organisation du travail 2006-2007 and are hoping to receive a positive response.

Although the teams function differently, they share the following goals:

• Develop a clinical partnership with general practitioners in the community to ensure that patients receiving first-line services receive appropriate care;
• Define which clinical services will be included in this partnership;
• Develop corridors of care between first and second-line services.

“This first stage is extremely important,” explains Mario Fortier, management advisor, Continuity of Services. “This pilot project will allow us to create links with our partners, redefine our practices, anticipate problems, and, above all, prepare for the upcoming changes. During the transfer of resources to the first-line, we must work together to ensure that all patients in the community receive quality care.”

Overseeing the project is a management team of three Douglas and two CSSS staff members: Louise Beauchesne, Clinical-Administrative Chief, Sector Clinics; Andrée Roy, Clinical-Administrative Chief, MEL and Day Hospitals; Mario Fortier, Management Advisor, Continuity of Services; Guy Bibeau, Team Manager, CSSS Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle; and Nicole Bernier, Team Manager, CSSS South-West–Verdun.