Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Vol. 44, No. 40
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SUPPORT LOCAL!
New Mental Health Navigators program running at Kalyna Country PCN Leslie Cholowsky Staff Reporter
The Kalyna Country Primary Care Network (PCN) has recently introduced a new program, hiring Donna Tindall and Jaclyn Chartrand as Mental Health Navigators. While Chartrand will handle clients in the Vegreville and Vermilion region, Tindall will serve Killam, Viking, Hardisty, and Tofield physicians and their patients. Tindall has worked in Flagstaff since 1994, initially with Home Care, then joining Canadian Mental Health in 2001, primarily working in the Independent Living Support program, recently taken over by Alberta Health Services. Tindall worked with clients of all ages, from 16 to 99, helping them through many issues to get back on track. She said her work with Canadian Mental Health gave her a lot of latitude, and she had clients throughout Flagstaff and the eastern half of Beaver County. When AHS took that program over, Tindall says, “I had the option to apply for a position in the AHS program, but I decided to take a break and think about what I wanted to do going forward.” She did think about retirement, with the full support of husband Sheldon, but when the Kalyna Country position came up, not only was she interested, but her peers urged her to apply. “Initially there was only one position, and I hesitated because of the amount of winter travelling it would entail.” She said when the PCN split the position over two regions, she found the job more attractive.” The PCN has a lot of programs for the prevention and management of chronic disease and general good health promotion, but this was an opportunity, right up Tindall’s alley, to help Kalyna Country PCN to expand that to include mental health supports. “It’s an opportunity to improve the quality of care and access to the services available to patients in our rural community,” she says.
Physicians in Killam and Hardisty are part of the Kalyna Country PCN, says Tindall, and clients can access the Mental Health Navigators through their doctors, other community agencies, or through self-referral. “We connect with them, talk to them, and can hook them up with the services they need.” She says her role is not necessarily a long-term connection with each client, but she will direct them and then continue to follow up to ensure they received the care they wanted. That includes setting up appointments, filling out necessary paperwork, and assisting patients with connections to required supports. She also reports back to the referring physician or community agency who did the initial referral. “My role is bridging the gap between what a client needs, and what there is available. Often people can be reluctant to call outside of their family physician when they need help, now I can work with their doctor within the PCN to get them the services they need.” Tindall says it’s a pilot program, funded to the end of March 2022, and she hopes that it will continue. Tindall, and PCN Clinical Manager Charlotte Thompson both say the idea for the program came out of a focus group on mental health supports needed within the family physician office, and through another pilot project, called Reducing the Impact of Financial Strain (RIFS) that was run in Vermilion and Viking from fall 2019 to spring 2021. Thompson says, “We discovered that social work help was an important part of helping patients struggling with financial strain in our rural communities.” Thompson says the new role played by Tindall and Chartrand really is navigation, “To assist clients in navigating through the community support network to get to the right help at the right time.” Tindall says that a full map of services available in each community is being
put together, with all support agencies pulling together to increase collaboration. The end goal of that is a new app, called HelpSeeker, that will allow both clients and professionals find needed resources. It’s applying the whole-health concept of a PCN to mental and social supports. Tindall says, “I’m very excited about my new role. It can be a challenge for clients to navigate mental health supports.” She adds, “I’ve been a strong advocate for every individual I’ve worked with. I’m grateful to be in a position to help them and get them to where they need to go.” And thanks to her background with Canadian Mental Health, she says, “I have such extensive knowledge and contacts for the supports available. I feel like that’s the strength I’m bringing to this new role.” Tindall says that treating mental health issues, to her, should be on par with diabetes, heart-health, and weight managements, and that a program such as this helps remove the stigma that sometimes surrounds mental health. “PCNs provide whole-health care, and this program enhances what is already available and makes it more accessible to all.” She loves her work, saying, “It’s very rewarding to help someone navigate the system to get the support they need, or to have a client reach out and tell me I helped them.” Tindall started in the new program on Sept. 7, and says she and the PCN have reached out to other similar programs operating in the province. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, and we are hoping that our program will benefit from learning more about existing programs of this type.” Tindall adds, “I’m hoping that as the word of this new program grows, people will become aware of it and access it as needed. The more that happens, the better it will be, and the more robust care we can offer.”
BTPS bids farewell to outgoing trustee Archibald and three others Patricia Harcourt Editor
Buffalo Trail Public Schools is bidding farewell to four outgoing trustees who are not running again in the October 18 municipal election, so will not be returning to the BTPS board. This includes outgoing trustee for Ward 3 - Subdivision 3 (Irma area) Sheldon Archibald. Also not running for re-election ae Board Chair Lanie Parr, as well as trustees Darcy Eddleston and Marie Isaman. Superintendent Rhae-Ann Holoien said the trustees would be missed, “as they brought a lot of expertise, experience and passion for rural education.” Holoien also said the trustees “served BTPS students and staff well throughout the years and continuously made decisions that made a positive impact on our division.” She added: “They absolutely lived the BTPS mission as they are committed to maximizing student learning in a safe and caring environment, supported by a highly effective team. “Their impact will be felt by students for years to come,” she said. “BTPS wishes them well in their future endeavours as we know that these individuals are lifelong learners.” There are two candidates vying for Archibald’s seat on the board, including Stephanie Evans and Tanya Ford.