PW Prototype | Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT) - Mental Health Outreach and Hands on Support for Community Living

Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT) - Mental Health Outreach and Hands on Support for Community Living

Employment, Home Health Care, and Mental Health - Adult & Senior

Provided by Fraser Health

Assertive Community Treatment teams provide person-centered, recovery-oriented outreach mental health services.

The ACT Team provides flexible, community-based support for adults with serious and persistent mental illness and significant functional impairments who have not connected with, or responded well to, traditional outpatient mental health and rehabilitation services.
Seventy-five percent of the services that ACT teams provide are offered in community settings that are comfortable and convenient for the person (e.g. the person’s home, local restaurants/coffee shops, parks, shelters or even a street corner if that’s where the person prefers).
ACT team members work closely with the person along with the person’s family or other supports identified by the person, to create a plan to improve their quality of life and decrease time spent in hospital, and with emergency services.
The ACT team provides comprehensive assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and support activities including:

Assisting the person with housing needs,
Accessing medical care,
Substance use counselling and/or access to treatment,
Life skills support/skill building,
Medication delivery,
Grocery shopping with staff,
Social and recreational events,
Vocational rehabilitation support-help with finding volunteer or competitive employment,
Transport the person to appointments,
Supporting and encouraging: healthy lifestyle choices, personal hygiene, short and long-term goal setting and money management,
Connecting person to income assistance services and Help individuals to manage his/her medication.
Assess for medical problems-refer to local medical clinic or client’s family doctor,
Help person to manage his/her medication if required

ACT team services are available in Abbotsford, Mission, Surrey, North Delta, New Westminster and the Tri-Cities. Residents of these communities can be referred for ACT team services through a community or hospital-based health care provider.

Eligibility:
- Adults (19 years or older) living in communities with ACT teams, i.e. Surrey, North Delta, New Westminster, Tri-Cities, Abbotsford and Mission.
- Adults living with serious mental illness who have many complex needs, and have great difficulty managing their day-to-day tasks, most of the time (e.g. cooking, cleaning, banking, taking medications as prescribed).
- Adults who are vulnerable and at-risk of homelessness, exploitation, abuse, further deterioration of their mental health, suicide, etc.
- These adults often have other mental health and substance use issues and may be homeless or at-risk of homelessness.
- Adults who have had many visits to hospital emergency departments, admissions to hospital psychiatric care, and/or frequently use police and ambulance services.
ACT team services are not suitable for people with:
- Substance use problems without a mental health issue
- Dementia
- A primary diagnosis of personality disorder