The changing face of VGH
/ On June 25, 2012, Willow Pavilion’s team welcomed their first clients to VGH.Together with Willow Chest, Willow Pavilion provides specialty care and rehabilitation for people with complex mental illnesses – people who could be our neighbours, our friends and our family.
Our colleagues at Willow Pavilion take pride in helping people manage their illness, achieve independence and reintegrate into the community.
Supporting the Willow Pavilion team, we can take pride in making a difference, too.
Questions & answers for staff
Q /Why is VGH caring for more tertiary mental health patients?
Is this really the right place for this population?
AA
/ Research and best practices indicate that people who require long- and medium-stay mental health care respond better in smaller, more community-based settings closer to home. Since patients began transferring from RiverviewHospital, Vancouver Coastal Health has been proud to open beds in a number of locations, including TroutLake, Detwiller Pavilion at UBC and Willow Chest on the VGH campus.Willow Pavilion is our next step in supporting the transfer of patients from Riverview — a facility that can’t provide the kind of physical therapeutic environments needed for today’s best healing practices.Willow Pavilion provides a safe, healing environment purposefully renovated to meet the unique needs of its patients and the staff who care for them. It offers the care and services patients need to regain their independence and reintegrate into the community they call home.As clients are able to be in the community, our goal is to reintegrate them via local community resources, such as recreation centres, parks, volunteer programs and more. When we think of the “right place” for our patients, we think beyond the VGH campus —it’s about the community, too.
Regarding outdoor space, we recognize that VGH campus has limited green space compared to Riverview; however, we’re exploring a number of optionsfor clients.
Q /
What exactly is “tertiary care”?
Is it just for former Riverview patients?AA
/ No, tertiary mental health care is not exclusively for former Riverview patients. This third — or tertiary — level of care is for those mental health clients whohave complex, serious and persistent mental illnesses.These clients need longer term specialty assessment, care and rehabilitation than delivered by primary care (family doctor and community health services) and secondary care (inpatient psychiatric units, community mental health team services and home-based treatment services)
Tertiary mental health clients may be referred to Willow Pavilion from Riverview, but they may also be referred from acute care units — such as the VGH Psychiatric Assessment Unit — or from community care programs.
Q /
What will be the average length of stay at Willow Pavilion?
AA
/ Willow Pavilion — like other tertiary mental health facilities — serves people with complex, serious and persistent mental illnesses. These clients need longer term specialty care and rehabilitation that can be provided in a normal hospital stay, which is why we expect client stays to range from six weeks to several years. Our ultimate goal is recovery and community reintegration for all clients.Q /
How are we protecting staff and patientsafety?
AA
/ Not unlike some patients at VGH or our community health centres, some Willow Pavilion clients may display aggressive behavior at times. For that reason, we have taken several steps to protect both staff and patient safety:- clients are escorted outside the facility until assessments confirm clients can make independent outings safely
- Willow Pavilion staff wear personal duress alarms and have had extensive training; a plan is in place to ensure new hires benefit from the same education
- great care has been taken to ensure appropriate staff-to-client ratios on all Willow Pavilion floors, at all times of the day, every day
- the facility has been designed with safety in mind, including shatterproof windows, video monitoring, secured access for outside doors and some units will be secured at all times
Q /
I don’t work at Willow Pavilion. What should I do if I encounter an aggressive patient from that facility, or see behaviour that concerns me?
AA
/ As with all patient populations, it’s important to understand the individual in order to know how — and if — you should approach him or her. In this case, because you are unfamiliar with the patient, we recommend that you do not approach or confront the person on your own. Instead, we advise you to:- inform staff accompanying the client (if relevant)
- inform staff on the first floor of Willow Pavilion and/or call Chris Flynn, manager of Willow Pavilion, at 604 802-9137
- call security or other appropriate supports in the event of an immediate safety concern
Q /
Where can I expect to see Willow Pavilion patients?
AA
/ Our aim is recovery and helping clients reintegrate into the community, which is why you can expect to see Willow Pavilion clients:- volunteering in local businesses, including the Willow Bean Café the first floor of Willow Pavilion
- in local shopsand parks
- moving in and out of our various buildings on the VGH campus
Q /
Is Willow Pavilion considered part of VGH Acute services?
AA
/ Yes, because tertiary mental health patients have complex, serious and persistent mental illnesses, we consider all Willow Pavilion clients and staff to be part of the VGH family.Willow Pavilion’s services and staff expertise are available to support colleagues and patients in other VGH facilities. And, when required, Willow Pavilion clients’ access to lab, radiology, critical care and other services, should feel and look like access for any other VGH patient. Our aim is to deliver seamless care and services across the VGH campus — regardless of the client’s illness.
Q /
What recreational/activity facilities and options are available for Willow Pavilion’s clients?
AA
/ In keeping with our recovery model of care, Willow Pavilion features a community centre on its first floor. Of service to all tertiary mental health patients in Vancouver, this “facility within a facility” creates an inviting and open connection between clients, staff and our surrounding community. The community centre includes:- Willow Bean Café, a partnership with Sodexo offering work experience to clients and quality coffee to all VGH campus staff, patients and visitors
- exercise room
- information resource centre
- art room
- multipurpose room
Q /
Will more mental health patients be transferred to VGH?
AA
/ Yes, we will welcome more patients to Willow Pavilion as we gradually phase clients into the facility. Of Willow Pavilion’s and Willow Chest’s100 beds, about half are occupied at this time.It’s also important to note that VGH isn’t alone in opening new beds for mental health patients. Vancouver Coastal Health is opening additional facilities to provide services closer to patients’ home, including:
- a 28-bed facility opening in the Fall of 2012 in Gibsons on the SunshineCoast
- Hope Centre, a mental health care and education facility at Lions Gate Hospital, scheduled to open by the end of 2013
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