Changes to children’s mental health services enhance care in Red Deer

RED DEER – Local and area children and youth are receiving faster and improved treatment for mental health issues following the launch of a new Adolescent Crisis Response Team at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, in addition to other enhancements. 

The Adolescent Crisis Response Team, which launched earlier this month, is comprised of mental health aides who support youth experiencing a mental health crisis when they visit the local emergency department. Team members stay with youth during their visit, and provide temporary support through education, connection, coping skills and reassurance until other resources are in place to help. 

The forthcoming Acute at Home program will enable youth will receive care in their home virtually or in-person in a clinic setting. A healthcare team — including a mental health therapist, registered psychiatric nurse, social worker, crisis response therapist and mental health aides — will respond to referrals within 24 hours and offer appointments seven days a week, including evenings and weekends. The team will connect frequently with patient and family, and liaise between family, available services and community partners, such as schools. The program aims to provide support for 50 families at a time for up to four weeks per family. 

Other improvements include:

• Increasing the number of youth psychiatric beds at the hospital from eight to 12.
• Establishing a mental health navigator position, giving families a single point of contact to access the appropriate mix and level of services for their child. This position will be assigned to more complex cases.
• Adding single-session, walk-in mental health counselling sessions two evenings a week at the 49th Street Addiction & Mental Health outpatient clinic. This service helps young patients receive an appropriate level of care, and puts safety plans or Acute at Home supports in place, rather than have individuals present to emergency. 

“This suite of enhancements will provide children and youth with the mental health support they need in the most appropriate place,” says Jason Luan, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “While that care can often be coordinated in a family setting, these changes also acknowledge the need to bolster support in acute care.”

“We’ve reviewed all of our Children’s Addiction & Mental Health services in Red Deer and made changes to how we can best serve our clients, empower families and provide care in the right space,” adds Amy Cote, Director of Central Zone Addiction & Mental Health – Children, Youth and Families. “This has the potential to strengthen family networks, and also ease pressures on the emergency department and inpatient facilities.”

Changes have been made by reallocating existing resources, as well as through $236,000 in Alberta Health funding to support the COVID-19 response.  

“We know that mental health concerns are on the rise among children and youth, particularly in the wake of the pandemic,” says Adriana LaGrange, MLA for Red Deer North. “I’m proud of the hard work AHS has done to evaluate and improve the mental health services on offer for children, youth and families in Red Deer.” 

“It’s important that we continue to review and improve the changing demands for addiction and mental health services in Alberta,” adds Jason Stephan, MLA for Red Deer South. “By evolving the programs and services provided by AHS, we can better meet the needs of patients, clients and their families in hospital and at home.” 

All programs and services are now operational, with the exception of the Acute at Home program, which is in the final phases of recruiting staff. 

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.