This past Tuesday we heard from Ryan Milne, a Finance and Development officer for the northern Alberta branch of the Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association (CASA). CASA is the Alberta Health Services sponsored provider of mental health services for children and adolescents for all families in northern Alberta. It is known that up to seventy percent of adults with mental health problems, have had that problem since childhood.
CASA was founded in 1991 and is a community based non-profit organisation. They currently provide services for 4300 children and their families in northern Alberta. They have about one hundred fifty professionals from many various professional disciplines. They operate from four locations in the Edmonton area and also have a travelling team of specialists who serve outlying areas. One of their facilities is a residential facility with nineteen beds in Sherwood Park for high school age clients. They provide clinical services for children from birth to eighteen years of age. All of heir clients are referred to them through the health care system. They provide twenty-two types of specialised programs for their clients. Their programs include infant and preschool services, school age services, specialty services such as family therapy, day programs, and the addiction and mental health program. Their programs are based on the four pillars of quality care, access, sustainability and partnerships with research and health providers. They received fourteen million dollars last year to provide services for a population of three point four million.
Their government funding is based solely on intake numbers and is not tied to the services provided, as these can change over time. They are always looking for new sources of funding and would like to be able to fund a research chair based at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. It would provide funding for three researchers to develop a front-line program to address mental health for children. They would also like to be able to fund a shift to electronic record keeping for all of their facilities.
This was a very interesting and enlightening presentation that gave reason for thought to all of us, as we realise what an enormous undertaking they have made. Any and all donations towards their programs would be very welcome.
