UBCO to keep community drop-in mental health clinic after trial shows demand

A successful trial run for UBC Okanagan’s no-barrier mental health clinic revealed a pertinent demand for the service and has evolved into a permanent walk-in wellness clinic.

The Thrive Thursdays walk-in wellness clinic will become the first public walk-in mental health clinic in the province to be permanently placed on a University campus.

Lesley Lutes, an associate professor and director of clinical training for the PhD program in clinical psychology at UBCO, called the clinic “a game changer” for both students being trained for their future in health care delivery and community member who will benefit.

“This is a space where community members can drop in for free mental health services without an appointment or referral. It’s changing the way people are accessing care for their mental health.”

Lutes and her team accommodated over 50 drop-in sessions during the five-week unfunded pilot program last fall, assisting patients experiencing a variety of issues including stress, depression, anxiety, serious mental illness and suicide risk.

In the past decade, emergency room admissions related to mental health have risen by 300%. According to Lutes, patients are more likely to seek help in a crisis and will most often receive medication rather than therapy treatment. She hopes this clinic will deter from that form of treatment.

.@UBC Psychology Prof. Lesley Lutes is helping to launch the first public walk-in mental health clinic on a university campus in British Columbia https://t.co/QMXFC7NWXe pic.twitter.com/K6LfdDHifS

— UBC Okanagan News (@ubconews) May 29, 2019

The practice of medical doctors and psychologists working in tandem, called integrated primary care, is not foreign to Lutes who used this model at her former institution in North Carolina.

Lutes is aware that this does not fully replace specialty mental health services, but can be used as a front-line service that brings both physicians and psychologists into one room.

“It’s same day service. Doctor’s love it, psychologists love it, and patients love it as it medicalizes mental health, which reduces the stigma. So why not do it?” says Lutes.

“We’re decreasing mental health burden, sick days, disability claims, suicide risk–you name it. It’s also more cost-effective for government.”

The walk-in wellness clinic is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Interprofessional Clinic (ASC 141) in the Arts and Sciences Centre at UBC Okanagan.