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Transitioning Youth into Adult Mental Health and Addiction Services: An Outcomes Evaluation of the Youth Transition Project

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Abstract

The Youth Transition Project was designed to provide youth with mental health and addiction issues with individualized transitional care plans as they transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS). Over an 18-month period, a total of 127 (59.1%) youth were transitioned and seen by an AMHS provider, 41 (19.1%) remained on a waitlist for services and 47 (21.8%) canceled services. The average time to transition was 110 days (SD = 100). Youth exhibited a wide range of diagnoses; 100% of the population was identified as having serious psychiatric problems. Findings demonstrate that the Youth Transition Project has been successful in promoting continuity of care by transitioning youth seamlessly from youth to adult services. Inconsistencies in wait times and service delivery suggest that further model development is needed to enhance the long-term sustainability of the Youth Transition Project.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Champlain LHIN for their financial support for the evaluation; community and hospital members of the Transition Advisory Committee; and a special thanks to Gilles Charron, Transition Coordinator, for his time and commitment to this project and the evaluation.

Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada

    M. Cappelli PhD(C), S. Davidson MB, BCh, FRCP(C), J. Racek MA & K. Tataryn MSW

  2. CHEO Research Institute, 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada

    M. Cappelli PhD(C), S. Davidson MB, BCh, FRCP(C), S. Leon BS, M. Vloet PhD(C) & K. Tataryn MSW

  3. University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    M. Cappelli PhD(C), S. Davidson MB, BCh, FRCP(C), S. Leon BS, M. Vloet PhD(C), K. Tataryn MSW, K. Gillis MD, FRCP(C) & A. Freeland MD, FRCP(C)

  4. The Ottawa Hospital, 501 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada

    K. Gillis MD, FRCP(C)

  5. Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, 1145 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada

    A. Freeland MD, FRCP(C) & S. Thatte MD, FRCP(C)

  6. Stella’s Place, 45 Bowden St, Toronto, ON, M4K 2X3, Canada

    J. Carver MSW

  7. Youth Services Bureau, 2675 Queensview Dr, Ottawa, ON, K2B 8K2, Canada

    J. Lowe MSW

Authors
  1. M. Cappelli PhD(C)
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  2. S. Davidson MB, BCh, FRCP(C)
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  3. J. Racek MA
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  4. S. Leon BS
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  5. M. Vloet PhD(C)
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  6. K. Tataryn MSW
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  7. K. Gillis MD, FRCP(C)
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  8. A. Freeland MD, FRCP(C)
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  9. J. Carver MSW
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  10. S. Thatte MD, FRCP(C)
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  11. J. Lowe MSW
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Cappelli PhD(C).

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Cappelli, M., Davidson, S., Racek, J. et al. Transitioning Youth into Adult Mental Health and Addiction Services: An Outcomes Evaluation of the Youth Transition Project. J Behav Health Serv Res 43, 597–610 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-014-9440-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-014-9440-9

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