The implementation of the Quebec Mental Health Action Plan: hands-on experience at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital in Montreal
The Mental Health Action Plan maps out the reorganization of mental health services in the province of Quebec. Accordingly, this paper presents the transformation process of the mental health program at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital in Montreal. The authors discuss, on the one hand, the challenges that were met and, on the other hand, the model of care and organisational choices that were adopted. This article is divided in three parts. The first part describes the two main guiding principles underlying the Mental Health Action Plan. The second part examines the context surrounding the arrival of the Action Plan at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. The third part describes the hospital transformation process that evolved in relation with: 1- the new centralized access points for mental health services; 2- the support for first line (or primary care) services; 3- the second line services for the specialized treatment of complex mental health problems.