Redeployment at Sudbury hospital leaves mental health program modified; CMHA stepping in to help

Temporary redeployment of 100 staff at the hospital in Greater Sudbury has meant some outpatient services have been modified.

Health Sciences North said the redeployment is to maintain critical and acute care services during the worst part of the pandemic.

The Mental Health and Addictions Program is one of the 35 outpatient services affected, with 15 staff moved elsewhere in the hospital.

In a statement to CBC news, HSN said the temporary redeployment of these staff members "has resulted in modification to how services are delivered in some of the program's outpatient services such as the Mood and Anxiety Program and the Outpatient Addictions and Gambling Services." 

"Critical functions related to these services, such as medication support are being maintained. Staff remain available to respond to telephone calls and brief intervention for those that require support," the statement also said.

All clients who are impacted were contacted.

Health Sciences North said it continues to work with community mental health and addiction partners to help keep continuity of service during this time.

A lot of lengthy, proactive planning has been done around COVID-19 across the local mental health sector, said Stephanie Lefebvre, director of programs and planning with the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury Manitoulin (CMHA-SM).

CMHA knew ahead of time staff could be redeployed. 

"We do work together," she said.

"The hospital has had to cut back their programs, but we've been really involved in every step of that decision making."

Planning at individual level

Lefebvre said before the redeployment, clinicians in the Mental Health and Addictions Program spoke to colleagues at CMHA-SM about clients who could be impacted. 

"[They said] 'Listen, we may have an individual that we both provide service to, you need to be aware  that our level of service might be changing for the next little while,'" Lefebvre said.

Then the colleagues would try to strategize on how best to "amplify supports at other levels" to make sure the client's essential needs were continuously met.

CMHA-SM hasn't taken over any specific programs or delivery area for HSN's Mental Health and Addictions Program, but Lefebvre said there is a plan in case that needs to happen.

Planning at agency level

For the past year, local mental health and addiction providers have been creating surge plans for potential staffing shortages.

"Looking across our agencies — what do we deem as the most essential, priority services that we need to make sure keep running? If there are redeployments or if there are problems with staffing shortages how can we as the other agencies pick up and fill those gaps?" Lefebvre said.

CMHA Sudbury-Manitoulin recently had to redeploy its own staff to its most essential programs.

The agency has experienced between 30 and 50 per cent staffing reductions due to employees off sick with COVID-19, those who had symptoms of COVID-19, or isolating due to the contact with a positive case.

"On any given day we really don't know how many staff may be pulled away because of isolation, or COVID or whatever. So we really are in active management mode all the time," Lefebvre said.

Staff have been redeployed to essential residential programs like shelters and residential programs.

"It's constant manoeuvring to see how can we fill some of those gaps to make sure that the essential programs are running," she said.

Lefebvre credits the CMHA-SM staff who stepped up to be redeployed, and appreciates their efforts.

"It's not easy as an agency to also have to communicate the message: we're in critical staffing shortages and we have this dire need' and really trying to mobilize quite quickly around it," she said.

 "Our efforts have been really successful in large part because of the team we have."