Mental Health Services for Our Campus: University Health Service Lori-Ann Lach, MD, CCFP

Mental Health Services
for Our Campus:
University Health Service
Lori-Ann Lach, MD, CCFP
Medical Director, University Health Service
Student Support
Who We Are
• We are staffed with three front office staff, 1.2
EFT nursing staff, 3.5 EFT family physicians
and a consulting psychiatrist who works one
half day every 2 weeks.
• We can also draw blood on site Monday to
Friday, 8:30 am until 10:00 am
Our Mission Statement
University Health Service is the University of
Manitoba's community health clinic providing
excellence in primary care and health
promotion services for the university
community. UHS is committed to practicing
a patient centered, collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to service delivery
UHS’s Mandate
UHS’s mandate is to provide primary care to
all students of the University of Manitoba.
This includes students at campuses other
than the Fort Garry campus
UHS’s Mandate… continued
We also provide care to a limited number of
University of Manitoba staff members.
These staff members include staff who have
been ‘grandparented’ into the clinic and staff
who have been selected to become patients
through a staff lottery
As you can see, UHS is in a unique position
to provide mental health services to both the
student and staff populations of the
University of Manitoba
Mental Wellness
The staff at UHS feel it is of utmost importance
to prevent mental illness from occurring. As
such, we practice primary prevention. We work
with our patients to ensure they are caring for
their mind, body and spirit. When we see
patients who are at risk of developing any
illness, we proactively help them access
services and encourage lifestyle modification
UHS’s Top Three Reasons for Visit
1- Complete Physical
2- Depression
3- Anxiety
How UHS Supports Mental Wellness
• Our front desk staff work with our patients to
help them navigate through the University
and health care systems. They also book
appointments
• Our nursing staff actively engage in health
promotion with our patients.
• Our medical staff also engage in health
promotion and ensure that the patients can
access the services required
When Mental Illness Occurs
• The medical staff at UHS can assess and
diagnose patients and recommend treatment
regimes. They also provide ongoing care for
these patients as required
• They ensure that there are no underlying
physical illness which could account for the
patients’ symptoms
When Mental Illness Occurs… continued
• UHS helps patients navigate through the
health care system, referring them to services
• We also help patients navigate through the
University system, linking or referring patients
to U of M resources
• We provide documentation of illness to
faculty and employers
When Mental Illness Occurs… continued
• When patients have been off work or unable
to go to school due to their illness, we work
with the patient, their employer and/or their
faculty and professors to help the patient get
back to work/studies
• We liaise with other University Services such
as Accessibility Services, Student Advocacy
and Human Resources to ensure a smooth
transition back to school or work
When Mental Illness Occurs… continued
• We work with Student Accessibility Services
to ensure students receive the
accommodations they require
• We communicate and collaborate with
Student Counselling Centre
• We refer patients to our consulting
psychiatrist or outside services as needed
Mental Health Crises
UHS can link patients in crisis to outside
resources such as the Mobile Crisis
Service or the Crisis Response Centre on
the Bannatyne campus
Crisis Response Centre staff
UHS Hours of Operation
• We are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30.
• We offer an on-call service for after hours
emergencies seven days a week, 24 hours a day
• We book appointments either over the phone or in
person
UHS Operations…continued
• We have a limited number of same day
appointments available each day. These are
best booked by arriving in person by 8:30
a.m.
• If a patient self identifies as having a mental
health need, we try to book that patient a 30
minute appointment so that the physician has
adequate time to assess their issue
Questions???
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