Community Vitality 2022 - CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services
Community Vitality 2022
CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services
Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST)
Grant: $138,000 for 1 year
The COAST team at CMHA Thames Valley
Supporting families who may have been struggling to find help for their loved ones encourages well-being in our community. This is the approach taken by the Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST) at CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services, in partnership with St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Canadian Mental Health Association Elgin-Middlesex, and Middlesex-London Paramedic Service, as it assists people in accessing the care they need to increase their quality of life.
CMHA Thames Valley is an integrated mental health and addiction agency providing community-based supports and services to individuals aged 12 and up across Elgin, Middlesex, and Oxford Counties. They offer intervention and virtual supports, mobile crisis teams, police partnerships, case management, counseling, community wellness programs for both individuals and their families, housing supports and addiction medicine services.
The COAST model is a unique and innovative partnership that sees police paired with a healthcare provider. This means that during rapid responses to people struggling with mental health and/or addiction, a skilled and compassionate support is at hand to minimize the risk of that person falling through the cracks in the system due to their complex needs.
“The COAST model provides a community led, non-uniformed response to complex mental health and addictions calls requiring police involvement according to the Mental Health Act,” says Lori Hassall, Vice President, Services & Supports. “Without COAST these calls are answered by uniformed officers, increasing the risk of secondary trauma, decreasing the chance of connection to appropriate services and potentially criminalizing what is a mental health and addiction issue.”
COAST takes a proactive approach to their work, and through a commitment to following-up with service users and ensuring they’re connected to the appropriate supports, strives to prevent crises before they occur.
“The interdisciplinary component of the team includes nursing, paramedics and mental health and addiction crisis workers working alongside the police partners. Leveraging the physical and mental health care expertise and knowledge on the team, individuals who may otherwise receive a police-only response are provided a holistic approach better meeting their needs,” says Lori.
The $138,000 Community Vitality Grant will be used to fund human resources on the COAST for the next year.
Find out more about the Community Vitality Grant program at LCF and CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services.
Read about the other grantees: