Ruben Hummelen1, Heather Lee2, Barbara Russell-Mahoney2, Sadie Maxwell3, Doug Semple2, Dean Osmond2, Shanthive Asokan2, Jenna Poirier4, Len Kelly5. 1. Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sioux Lookout, ON, Canada. 2. Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre, Box 489, Sioux Lookout, ON, P8T 1A8, Canada. 3. Board Chair, Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre, Sioux Lookout, ON, Canada. 4. Sioux Lookout Local Education Group, Sioux Lookout, ON, Canada. 5. Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre, Box 489, Sioux Lookout, ON, P8T 1A8, Canada. lkelly@mcmaster.ca.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Providing emergency mental health services for populations in remote rural areas of Canada is challenging. Program needs are distinct. We describe the emergency mental health workload and service needs at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) in northwest Ontario. METHODS: Emergency department (ED) data were collected for mental health, addiction and self-harm diagnoses (MHA) in 2018/2019. Comparisons were made to similar sized provincial hospitals and EDs. Mental health admissions data from Oct 1, 2018 to Dec 31, 2019 were manually collected from hospital medical charts for demographics, suicide attempts/ideation and frequency of applications for Form 1 psychiatric assessment. RESULTS: The volume of MHA ED visits as a percentage of total ED visits was 4 times higher at SLMHC when compared to both the 67 other Ontario level C hospitals (< 100 beds) and the 15 level C hospital with a similar volume of ED visits (15,000-20,000), (15% vs 4%). Self-harm presentations were 308 at SLMHC versus an average of 42 ± 37 at the 15 level C hospitals with a similar ED volume. From Oct 1, 2019 to Dec 31, 2019, there were 49 patients requiring a Form 1, with an average wait time of 55 h before transfer to a schedule 1 facility. CONCLUSION: There is an increased level of mental health, addiction and self-harm presentations in this northern ED. Lack of alternative resources indicate the need for the development of an integrated model of mental health care service. Reliance on the ED for crisis management indicates the need for the development of more regionally relevant models of care.
OBJECTIVES: Providing emergency mental health services for populations in remote rural areas of Canada is challenging. Program needs are distinct. We describe the emergency mental health workload and service needs at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) in northwest Ontario. METHODS: Emergency department (ED) data were collected for mental health, addiction and self-harm diagnoses (MHA) in 2018/2019. Comparisons were made to similar sized provincial hospitals and EDs. Mental health admissions data from Oct 1, 2018 to Dec 31, 2019 were manually collected from hospital medical charts for demographics, suicide attempts/ideation and frequency of applications for Form 1 psychiatric assessment. RESULTS: The volume of MHA ED visits as a percentage of total ED visits was 4 times higher at SLMHC when compared to both the 67 other Ontario level C hospitals (< 100 beds) and the 15 level C hospital with a similar volume of ED visits (15,000-20,000), (15% vs 4%). Self-harm presentations were 308 at SLMHC versus an average of 42 ± 37 at the 15 level C hospitals with a similar ED volume. From Oct 1, 2019 to Dec 31, 2019, there were 49 patients requiring a Form 1, with an average wait time of 55 h before transfer to a schedule 1 facility. CONCLUSION: There is an increased level of mental health, addiction and self-harm presentations in this northern ED. Lack of alternative resources indicate the need for the development of an integrated model of mental health care service. Reliance on the ED for crisis management indicates the need for the development of more regionally relevant models of care.
Authors: David VanderBurgh; David W Savage; Sacha Dubois; Natalie Binguis; Sadie Maxwell; Natalie Bocking; Terri Farrell; Homer Tien; Stephen D Ritchie; Aaron Orkin Journal: CMAJ Open Date: 2020-05-23
Authors: Cai-Lei Matsumoto; Terry O'Driscoll; Jennifer Lawrance; Andre Jakubow; Sharen Madden; Len Kelly Journal: CJEM Date: 2016-11-07 Impact factor: 2.410