Integrated Mental Health & Addictions achievements in 2023

Accessing support for mental health and addictions (MHA) can be overwhelming for individuals and their families as well as providers. The Integrated Mental Health & Addictions Working Group is a collaboration with the goal of reducing silos and providing more integrated and efficient pathways to care.

"This is a critical period, given the many pressures on the system due to demands from the pandemic, continued challenges in access to primary care, limited mental health resources, and the overdose crisis; this collaboration is key to creating enhanced services and pathways to care and simplifying access to services for community members."

Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde, MBBS, MSc, FRCPsych, MBA Co-chair, Integrated Mental Health & Addictions, Consultant Psychiatrist - Community Mental Health, Clinical Director, Community Mental Health (Providence Care), Associate Professor – Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Queen’s University.

Care providers from hospitals and community, social service agencies, specialists, and academics as well as community members with lived experience of navigating the care system, including those who are Indigenous, francophone and/or identify as 2SLGBTQ++, are working together on various projects and initiatives to support this goal.

Our key areas of focus over the past year included:

• Supporting the launch of AccessMHA, a resource providing a single point of entry to MHA services, which simplifies navigation for those seeking support.
• Continued partnerships with agencies delivering services to vulnerable and unhoused individuals in KFL&A.
• Ongoing support and opportunities for Shared Care Discussions between providers for effective care collaborations.

In 2024, we will continue moving forward with our priority work, as well as take on new projects aimed at increasing access to community mental health in the region and continuing to build relationships and connections between primary care and service providers in support of creating an integrated system of care in our region.