The navigation tool developed by the Nipissing Service Collaborative Implementation Team has been an eye-opener for service providers in some cases.
Dan Billingsley, who leads the team, says in the course of determining what services are available to mental health and addictions patients, the team has learned about services that as “providers we might not have known existed in the past”.
Billingsley himself admits he’s learned about services he didn’t know were available in Nipissing and it’s all the result of creating the navigation tool.
Billingsley says the group wasn’t too familiar with some of the agencies but the tool has helped identify these other providers to the point that clients are now referred to these agencies.
“So it’s already kind of proven to be a success before it’s even launched,” Billingsley said about the tool.
The navigation tool makes it easier for patients to best connect to their needs once the provider has a better understanding of the person’s needs.
The tool is nearing the end of its testing phase before being launched next year.
After the Nipissing launch, Billingsley has another goal for the navigation guide.
“I hope when we prove how much of a success it’s going to be, other communities are going to implement the same practice,” he said.
Billingsley believes the navigation guide is ground-breaking because it makes it very easy for clients to make their way through a system that can be challenging.
“If this is also something we could get for the whole province, it would be so much easier for people to navigate the system which can be an intimidating process,” Billingsley said.
Billingsley has been with the six-year project since the beginning.
Also, the work the team has done has not gone unnoticed.
The North East Local Health Integration Network has nominated the implementation team a Health Change Champion because its work will make it easier for those in need to find help faster and better meet their needs.