Montreal, Quebec opens up treatment for mental health patients in downtown Montreal

Quebec's Minister of Social Services has announced three new measures aimed at reducing hospitalizations for mental health patients in downtown Montreal.

Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant said on Monday that the measures taken in recent months as part of the pilot project “will bring care closer to people” and support patients to get back into living conditions.

They are part of the Legault government's $1 billion mental health initiative Action plan covering the years 2022-2026.

“What makes me most optimistic is seeing the positive response from patients and their families, the positive response from the teams and the positive response from the doctors,” Carmant said.

Notre Dame Hospital Pilot Project

The three interventions include a “brief psychiatric intervention unit” based at Notre Dame Hospital, an in-home psychiatric hospitalization service and a community support team.

The idea behind the Short Psychiatric Intervention Unit is to treat people who are experiencing an acute psychotic episode and would benefit from a short hospital stay.

Notre Dame Hospital's intervention team consists of 10 people, including psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, patient care and pharmacists. The unit offers 24-hour monitoring before sending patients for home monitoring.

Patients eligible for psychiatric hospitalization at home will be treated at their residence seven days a week during the day and evening.

A community support team of social workers, occupational therapists and a nurse treats patients at home while they recover from a mental health crisis.

Notre Dame Hospital serves a socioeconomically disadvantaged population, said Dr. Stephane Proulx, chief of Notre Dame Hospital's Psychiatric Emergency Department, who pointed to issues like drugs that have “changed the city and the emergency room” in recent years. addiction caused by opiates and stimulants such as amphetamines and crystal meth.

The measures announced Monday won't completely solve the problem, but they are part of the answer, and more needs to be done, Dr. Proulx said.

“We're talking about people who have suicidal crises, who have adjustment disorders, who are severely depressed, but we can avoid being internalized,” he said.