OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 6, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, RBC presented
$1.5 million to CHEO for the Kids
Come First Health Team to improve access to youth mental health
care in our community. This donation will support One
Call/One Click, a new initiative
that will help Kids Come First create a single point of entry to
Eastern Ontario's system of care
for mental health and addictions.
The Kids Come First Health Team includes CHEO and 20 other
providers of mental health and addiction services for children and
youth in the region, as well as families and youth partners. One of
its major goals is to create an integrated system that delivers
faster, easier and better access to services and enables physicians
and community pediatricians to focus on seeing children and youth
in a timely manner. One Call/One
Click does exactly that.
"Kids and teens in our region are waiting too long for mental
health and addiction services, and some of that is because it is
difficult to know how to access the service right for them,"
explained Joanne Lowe, Executive
Director of Youth Services Bureau and Vice-president of Mental
Health and Addictions at CHEO. "When this happens, children and
youth repeatedly visit emergency departments or access services
that might not be the right fit. This can lead to poor outcomes. We
are so grateful to RBC for helping us improve this situation to get
kids and teens the care they need, when they need it."
The Honorable Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of
Health, was delighted to be a part of today's announcement. "We
know how important it is for children, youth and their families to
have access to high-quality services when and where they need them.
The new One Call/One Click
initiative led by Kids Come First simplifies finding and accessing
mental health and addictions support. I want to recognize RBC for
their generous donation to support this great program."
"When someone close to you is struggling, especially a child, a
young person, it's heartbreaking. So when we first heard about One
Call/One Click, we knew we had to
help," said Marjolaine Hudon,
Regional President, Ontario North and East, RBC. "When the program
launches next spring, it will fill critical gaps. It will ensure
youth get the support they need." Mental well-being affects all
aspects of youth's lives, including their professional lives, which
is why this donation is part of RBC Future Launch – RBC's
$500 million commitment over ten
years, to help young people prepare for the future of work.
"One Call/One Click is going to
make the mental health journey better for families. It directly
responds to what we hear from parents every day – that they need
support and guidance and a system built around them, not the other
way around. We are so excited to be part of creating a real
solution to the challenges they are currently facing," said
Elyse Schipper, Executive Director
of PLEO – Parents' Lifeline, a Kids Come First partner and member
of the One Call/One Click
team. "Our vision is that families facing mental
health challenges can flourish, stigma-free, with the
support and services they need. The One Call/One Click service will be a welcome
resource."
The One Call/One Click initiative
will create a streamlined, regional, bilingual Coordinated Access
and Navigation Service for children, youth, families and
providers through:
- One number to call
- One link to click (patient and provider app)
- Walk-in clinics
- Direct booking and coordinated care planning
- Peer and family support services
Kids Come First will ensure that parents, caregivers, family
physicians and community pediatricians can all access services
through one number to call or one link to click, anytime,
anywhere.
"Our vision is that parents and caregivers no longer need to be
system coordinators or case managers and can spend more time with
their children and families; and that they have a clear, simple way
of getting the right help as quickly as possible," said
Mike Beauchesne, Executive Director
of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre and co-lead of the One
Call/One Click project team.
"With one number to call or one link to click, family physicians
and community pediatricians will also be able to spend their time
on what matters most – seeing children and youth – not trying to
figure out a complex service system," Beauchesne added.
One Call/One Click is slated to
start up in the spring of 2021.
Residents of Eastern Ontario
can also help to fund the One Call/One
Click initiative by participating in the RBC Race for Kids
2020 virtual global edition. "RBC has been a tremendous supporter
of CHEO for many years including their partnership through the RBC
Race for the Kids, which has helped to improve access to mental
health services for our children and youth," said Kevin Keohane, President and CEO, CHEO Foundation. "Today's announcement
takes RBC's commitment to CHEO and the 20 organizations involved in
Kids Come First to a new level and will enable improved care
throughout the regional youth mental health and addictions system
of care. On behalf of the children, youth, families and
organizations who will benefit from One Call/Once Click – I offer
our most sincere thanks to RBC."
More details can be found at
https://www.rbcraceforthekids.com/event/cheo-foundation.
SOURCE RBC