Access, Innovation and Collaboration define our Hospital without Walls

June 17, 2020

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Throughout the past year, our actions have been guided by the philosophy of a Hospital Without Walls – mental health care and research that meets people where they are, integrated with other aspects of life and wellness.

We have built partnerships throughout our community and across the province to bring care to more people when and where they need it. We are pursuing research that pushes the boundaries of our knowledge and strengthens care in a way that is driven by the needs and experiences of our clients. We have identified our preliminary research areas and begun building the collaborative networks, which will serve as the foundation of the work within the new Centre of Excellence on PTSD. We have held some of our most successful fundraising events ever by highlighting the strengths of care and research together. And we have continued to educate, inform and inspire our community by collaborating with client and families, combining our voices to turn up the volume on conversations about mental health.

In recent months, along with the rest of our community and the world, we have faced the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have responded with compassion and innovation. We have shifted to virtual care wherever possible to ensure that our clients continue to receive support while staying safe at home. Our researchers have acted quickly to seek answers about how COVID is impacting mental health and what helps people cope.

We have also opened a new clinic to make sure that anyone at risk of worsening mental health or hospitalization can get the care they need quickly. The clinic, called C-PROMPT, went from an idea to a reality in just two weeks and brought The Royal’s services to individuals who had nowhere else to turn.

Prior to COVID-19, our team at The Royal embarked on a strategic planning process to reimagine our role, our work and our services. Transformation was already on our horizon and now the pandemic has become a catalyst to accelerate our thinking on how we can and should deliver care to those who need it most.

We are proud of the work we have done so far and the incredible people who make up ‘Team Royal’. Together, we are excited to design a future built on innovation and collaboration.

Centre of Excellence on PTSD

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Year in Review

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Anne Graham, Chair of The Royal’s Board of Trustees:

“Collaboration fuels innovation and it leads us down new roads to exciting new places. I look back on this past year with pride for what The Royal has accomplished. We have made significant progress towards breaking down the barriers that can make it difficult for individuals to get help, as well as connecting research and care to enhance treatment. I look forward to another year of possibilities and opportunities as a “hospital without walls.”

Joanne Bezzubetz, President and CEO of The Royal:

“The Royal is in an exciting period of transformation. We have always been known for delivering excellent care and now we are focusing on bringing that care to more people in ways that are right for them. With the power of technology, the spirit of innovation, the skill of our team, and the insight of our clients, families and community partners, we can create a better future for all people living with mental illness and addiction.”

Steve West, Chair of Institute of Mental Health Research Board of Directors:

"The diverse expertise of our Researchers is one of our greatest strengths. By utilizing our combined scientific capabilities to look ahead and anticipate change, we can adapt our research to provide answers that meet future needs. By asking insightful questions, we can utilize our research capacity and resources at the Royal’s IMHR to improve mental health care that ensures better outcomes for clients, families and clinicians throughout our community."

Florence Dzierszinski, President of the Institute of Mental Health Research and VP of Research at The Royal:

“This has been a year of change for The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research. While we have been envisioning our future, we have also been focused on what we can achieve in the present - and that has been a lot. We have grown our strengths in innovative areas, and this has been recognized nationally and internationally, as exemplified by recent successes in the competitive world of grant funding, high impact publications, and prestigious awards. This also includes the new and the redesigned activities undertaken by researchers to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. We have also built and strengthened important collaborations with other organizations as well as with clients and families to continue furthering research impact."

Gord Cudney, Chair of the Board of Directors of The Royal’s Foundation:

“Royal Ottawa Foundation donors are the heart of so many of our accomplishments. The result is an ongoing impact on our patients’ lives. I am so proud to witness The Royal’s continued commitment to innovate and translate care into action to support those living with mental illness. On behalf of our board of directors, I want to extend our gratitude to everyone who has made this impact possible.”

Mitchell Bellman, President and CEO of The Royal’s Foundation:

“This past year was equal parts celebrating our accomplishments while also focused on the future of mental health delivery in our community as we collaborate with donors to advance both research and care at The Royal. Thanks to community support, we were able to expand services in key programs and see the launch of the C-Prompt Clinic. We were also so proud to host successful large signature events in addition to special intimate events such as our behind-the-scenes look at our exclusive Brain Imaging Centre and celebrating exceptional volunteers who helped shape the Foundation as part of our 40th anniversary. Mental health care and your continued support is more important than ever as we all begin to navigate our new normal. I want to thank each of you for remaining committed to our cause.

Scott McLean, Chair of the Board of the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and Related Mental Health Conditions:

“This year we have seen the Centre of Excellence on PTSD and related mental health conditions come to life at The Royal, where there is already such a strong foundation of caring for the mental health needs of Veterans and their families. The new – and growing - team at the Centre of Excellence will work together with Veterans and their families to combine the knowledge of lived experience with the knowledge generated by scientific research to create the best possible supports and services across Canada.”

Patrick D. Smith, CEO of the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and Related Mental Health Conditions:

“We are building a network of networks to conduct and cultivate treatment-changing research that can explore everything from specialized peer support for Veterans to how service-related injuries affect the brain, and find the most effective ways to help people heal. Our work focuses on a cycle of knowledge, practice, and policy, built upon a foundation of collective action, and the team is taking a Veteran-centred approach to respect the power and wisdom of lived experience.”