Mental health and substance use care: eCoordination through virtual communities that enhance health and social partnerships

Principal investigator: Marina Morrow, York University

Project Overview: Mental health and substance use challenges are a leading health concern for Canadians of all ages, with only 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 4 youth having access to the health and social supports that they require. Clinicians report difficulties in navigating the treatments, supports and resources required by their clients with mental health and substance use challenges and clients report frustration and distress in navigating the system(s). Our team is seeking to develop and test a novel eHealth (internet-based) innovation, virtual communities, to support needed access to and linkages between the services and sectors required to holistically address clients’ medical, psychological, and social needs.

Nature of Engagement: As a patient-oriented research study, our team is dedicated to representing and responding to the experiences of those who will benefit from study outputs – patients and clinicians. Our team is seeking to engage primary care clinicians and clients (persons with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges) in BC as partners on our research team. While we are flexible to negotiate what this partnership looks like, we anticipate creating a patient and clinician advisory council that would meet quarterly over a 4-year period to provide guidance to the study team and who would be available for additional consultation on an “as needed” basis. We also anticipate that we will have several working groups on the project including one dedicated to patient engagement. Working groups would meet more frequently.
In order to maximize opportunities for input and engagement, we are seeking patient and clinician partners immediately, with the grant being submitted for funding review on November 27, 2017.

Please contact Emily Jenkins for more details.