MONTREAL – Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative has announced it will donate $230,000 over three years to the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) Foundation in support of JGH’s child psychiatry transitional care program.
The program is designed to integrate former patients back into their schools and communities and prevent re-admission to child psychiatry services. The foundation says the donation will enable its program to serve a larger number of children and families, as well as provide specialized training and support to educators and community service providers.
“These children were referred for mental health problems so severe that they were unable to attend their community schools, and are at greater risk for developing serious mental disorders later in life,” said Dr. Phyllis Zelkowitz, director of research in the department of psychiatry, in a release. “After a period of intense treatment in child psychiatry, it can be a challenge for families to find the services and support that they need in the community, and many of the gains children make while in treatment can be lost. There is an urgent need for a program like this one, which provides continuity of care, helps parents to serve as advocates for their children, and assists educators in maintaining the children in their community schools.”
The transitional care program utilizes social and childcare workers to provide the necessary follow-up care and support for children aged five to twelve and their families, building a trusted home-school partnership in the process that focuses on the child’s positive academic and social development.
