“I’m dedicated to making our system better. I see technology as a way to leverage and bridge the way we deliver care, to better meet the needs of our patients. The more we can reach out to people in their own homes and communities, the better.” Dr. Jennifer Hensel, Psychiatrist
Dr. Jennifer Hensel channels her passion for improving access to mental health care into her role as a psychiatrist with Crisis Response Services in Winnipeg and as the co-medical director of the Provincial Virtual Crisis Service (formerly the Rural Adult Emergent Telepsychiatry Service, ETS and the Winnipeg virtual Crisis Stabilization Unit, vCSU) . Her clinical and research work come together in these roles to support the development of new mental health programs and services for adults experiencing a mental health crisis or living with psychiatric and substance use concerns.
“During the pandemic there was a need to ensure continuity of access to mental health services,” said Dr. Hensel. “We quickly identified and actioned the implementation of virtual solutions for patients in need.”
Virtual care options were initially piloted by Crisis Response Services, including the vCSU and ETS. The vCSU was introduced to provide short-term home-based treatment for individuals in psychiatric or psychosocial crisis and at risk of hospitalization while the ETS was established to offer real-time emergency psychiatric assessments via secure videoconferencing to health centres across the province.
“I was skeptical at first whether virtual care would be as good as in-person or face-to-face care. But I knew I needed help sooner than later and decided to give it a go,” said Jennifer Dedelley, a Manitoban who has used the virtual crisis stabilization unit.
The service aims to address gaps in specialized mental health care resources in rural and remote parts of the province, providing timely access to advice and assessment for individuals in a mental health crisis regardless of where they live.
“I felt very supported right away. The daily phone calls and supports I received really helped me get through dark and challenging times,” added Dedelley. “Thanks to the virtual crisis stabilization unit, I was able to get the care and support I needed faster and at home where I’m more comfortable.”
By the end of this past summer, the vCSU had admitted more than 1,100 people in crisis, reducing use of emergency and hospital services while supporting individuals in need. Within the same timeframe, ETS received more than 600 calls for service, providing virtual care that prevented an estimated 300 out-of-community medical transports and 160 hospital admissions.
Currently, work is underway to expand these services provincially, supporting emergency assessment and the integrated mental health virtual ward under the new name of the Provincial Virtual Crisis Service
Dr. Hensel’s role includes researching how patients prefer to access care and evaluating the role of virtual services in health care and the technology it uses.
“Based on data we have collected, when given the choice between virtual and in person care, both options were still in demand with relatively few consistently identifiable predictors,” said Dr. Hensel. “Improving the overall experience of how we deliver services for not only the patient but the family taking care of their loved one, has been a truly fulfilling part of my career.”
Dr. Hensel sees the future of care delivery as more collaborative; opening up the conversation about not only how to deliver and receive care but what patient centered care really looks like.
“If a patient wants virtual care, we should be able to offer it when it’s appropriate – and vice versa, if a patient prefers in person care,” she said. “Moving forward, we need to ensure we are offering equitable health care, while understanding access limitations from a socioeconomical and cultural standpoint.”
“Present day service design is seeing a real movement to integrate patient voice and those with lived experience,” says Dr. Hensel. “Increasingly, we’re seeing them involved at the tables, figuring out what we need and what are our priorities as we design services to meet the needs of the populations we serve. That way we’re designing the right services.”
Today, one in five Canadians are living with a mental illness and one in three will experience it during their lifetime. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health and needs support, help is available. Reach out today through mental health, wellness and addictions supports in the Mental Health and Resource Finder.
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