Funding competition empowers client and family-centred innovation in mental health care and research
On May 18, two of the leading mental health centres in Canada came together for a common cause – improving access and creating new possibilities for clients and families who are navigating the mental health and substance use health system. Innovation Expo 2022, hosted by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Royal, shone a spotlight on the endless possibilities for the future of mental health and substance use health care.
Serving as a hub for digital growth and transformation, Innovation Expo 2022 was a pitch-style competition, where finalists presented their innovative ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win one of two $50,000 funding prizes, bringing together health care providers, clients and families, start-ups, and the broader community for a common goal.
With three finalist groups from The Royal, and three finalist groups from CAMH, this engaging competition displayed an inspiring collection of ideas that will make a difference for clients and families. The Royal finalists included: myVoice – a client and family feedback mechanism that would provide a direct channel to share feedback in real time; Finance-E – a mobile app that would aim to modernize the process for assessing client financial skills; and the Digital Front Door to Rapid Access Addiction Medicine Clinics – a virtual walk-in clinic replicates the experience of an in-person walk-in visit.
“The past two years of this pandemic have been so unprecedented, and forced us all to adapt by creating technology-centred solutions,” says Dr. Joanne Bezzubetz, president and CEO of The Royal and an Innovation Expo 2022 judge. “These circumstances encouraged us to grow and transform, continually seeking ways to make care delivery more sustainable, equitable, and accessible for our clients, their families, and the community. Our clients and families are the ones navigating this system, and it’s so important to continually look at how we can increase access, inspire hope, and create new possibilities for them. This is exactly what our Innovation Expo 2022 finalists have done. Congratulations to all of the finalists. You are setting the stage for the future of mental health and substance use health care.”
After a deliberation period from our panel of industry experts as judges, the successful finalists were:
- Digital Front Door to Rapid Access Addictions Medicine (RAAM) Clinics, from The Royal
- Wise Minds, from CAMH
About the Digital Front Door to RAAM Clinics
RAAM clinics are low-barrier walk-in clinics that provide rapid access to care for clients with substance use problems without an appointment or referral. However, once the pandemic struck, clients could no longer “walk in” to the RAAM clinic. To mitigate this challenge, this team developed an innovative digital health solution for individuals seeking care for substance use – the Digital Front Door to RAAM Clinics, a self-referral service. Alongside clients, clinicians, administrators, technology experts, researchers, and vendors, this team co-designed a virtual walk-in RAAM clinic that replicates the experience of an in-person walk-in visit, improves access to care, ensures seamless interdisciplinary care, and expands regional reach.
“The Digital Front Door is the first of its kind in Canada,” explains Dr. Kim Corace, Vice-President of Innovation and Transformation at The Royal, who has been involved in this initiative since day one. “Our Digital Front Door to RAAM essentially replicates the experience of an in-person walk-in visit. Getting care is now as simple as ‘checking in’ to the RAAM clinic on any device. After ‘entering’ the Digital Front Door, clients are connected with a RAAM clinician to start their care journey. The Digital Front Door is the easiest and most accessible health solution in all of Ontario for people with substance use needs.”
“We are so thrilled and grateful to have won this funding prize from Innovation Expo 2022! With this funding, we plan to take this innovation to the next level. Currently, there are 15 Digital Front Doors to RAAM Clinics across the province, but we need to make this easier for clients when they need it most. Our clients want one ‘main entrance’ to all of the partnered Digital RAAM Clinics’ Digital Front Doors across the province – and we plan to make this a reality,” explains Dr. Melanie Willows, Clinical Director of the Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders Program and Melissa Webb, Director, Data & Analytics, who are working alongside Dr. Corace and other team members to bring this idea to life.
Watch this recording of Innovation Expo 2022 to learn more about the Digital Front Door to RAAM Clinics, as well as innovation at The Royal and CAMH.
To organize an interview and learn more about the Digital Front Door to RAAM Clinics, please contact Michaela Berniquez at Michaela.berniquez@theroyal.ca or 613.218.5225