Team approach at heart of new mental health program
Initiative sparked by recommendations from judicial inquiry
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is trying a pilot project to better treat people with serious mental illness.
The Assertive Community Treatment program will involve an eight-member team that includes counsellors, therapists and other health professionals working through the Eastern Health regional authority.
The team will not only deal with clients' mental health concerns, but also with issues like finding a decent place to live or a job.
Colleen Simms of Eastern Health said the new team will treat its clients in the community.
"This particular team will be spending most of their time out of their offices, in the community working with people and developing individual plans for each person," said Simms.
"So really, [they will be] trying to meet their needs where they are."
The strategy was recommended by a judicial inquiry called after two mentally ill men were shot to death by police during separate confrontations in 2000.
Norman Reid and Darryl Power were killed just 51 days apart.
Provincial court Judge Donald Luther found that the health, social services and justice systems had failed both men.
As well, Luther's 2003 report recommended a team approach for treating people with severe mental illness.
Geoff Chaulk, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association's Newfoundland and Labrador division, said such an approach could have helped Reid, whom an RCMP officer shot to death during a confrontation in Little Catalina.
"He ended up living in the community with certainly support from a nurse who really tried to help him, but he needed, really, daily contact with a treatment team," Chaulk said.
$1M for pilot
Power was shot to death by a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer, following a confrontation in Corner Brook. In that case, Luther described the incident as a "victim-precipitated homicide."
In the Reid case, Luther found the RCMP had fired in self-defence.
Training for the new team started Monday.
Members are expected to deal with their first clients in the program by the end of February.
The government is putting about $1 million into the pilot program and hopes to establish similar teams around the province.