CHEO, Royal wait lists for youth mental health treatment still 'extensive'

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and The Royal have developed a five-year plan they hope will reduce continued "extensive" wait times for children and youthseeking treatment for mental health issues.

Since 2010, CHEO has seen an average 75-per-cent increase in the number of mental health-relatedvisits to its emergency room.

At The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, the number of days inpatients spend thereareup 22 per cent since 2010, and the severity of the mental health issues being treated is also on the rise.

The two facilities have worked together for 15 yearsbut despite the increasingdemand for services, the time it takesfor children and youth to get treatment hasn't improved enough.

Wait times for outpatient services at CHEO are six to nine months, down only "slightly," according to the hospital.At The Royal, the wait time is about six months. Both hospitals said they try to deal with "urgent referrals" within three weeks.

The hospitals have launched a five-year Young Minds Partnership strategy to address the issueand have pledged to release a report card each year.

The goals of the strategy areto:

• Reduce wait timesusing the Choice and Partnership Approach.
• Offermore help to childrenand youth while they wait for treatment, and helpparents and caregivers find the right services at the right time.
• Improveemergency care.
• Dedicatebeds at CHEO to children under 12 years old with severe mental health problems.
• Give moreeffective help to children and youth with substance abuse and mental health problems, homeless youth, youth in juvenile justice, and those who have experienced trauma.
• Improvework with francophone, Inuit, First Nations, ethnocultural, and LGBTQ children and youth.

Need help?

If you need help dealing with a mental health issue, here are some resources in the area.

Ottawa Distress Centre: 613-722-6914.
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868.
Child, Youth and Family Crisis Line for Eastern Ontario: 1-877-377-7775 (or 613-260-2360 in Ottawa).
Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre: 613-741-6025.
Mental Health Crisis Line(ages 16 and up): 613-722-6914.
Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa: 613-260-2360.