Road service: these clinicians take to the streets to provide care
It’s the ultimate medical house call for people living with schizophrenia. St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s Mobile Mental Health Clinic brings necessary outpatient care to the door step of patients unable to get to the West 5th Campus.
Recognizing the need for consistent medication injections and overall care a small team of clinicians took to the road. Sometimes this means visiting subsidized housing or retirement homes, other times, it means driving around downtown streets, looking in shops and libraries until they can locate their unhoused patients.
Meeting patients where they are, strengthens the relationship and helps clinicians provide a more holistic approach to patient care.
What began as a short-term necessity that was launched at the height of the pandemic has turned into a successful long-term model thanks to generous donations to St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation.
Read more about St. Joe’s Mobile Mental Health Clinic, here: Mental health nurses treat patients wherever they find them (thespec.com).
Hamilton Spectator
Sebastian Bron, Hamilton Spectator Reporter
Cathie Coward, Hamilton Spectator Photojournalist
More from the Toronto Star here: These nurses treat mental health patients wherever they might find them (thestar.com).