Measuring Patient Oriented Outcomes in Children and Youth With Mental Health Concerns: Albertan Key

To address the child and youth mental health crisis, strategic coordinating and monitoring of child and youth mental health service outcomes are important. [...] Key themes include: 1) A lack of provincial consistency for measuring child and youth mental health outcomes; 2) Equity gaps in the mental health sector for marginalized children and youth; and 3) The need for a cross-ministry youth mental health strategy. [...] THE NEED FOR A CO-ORDINATED CROSS-MINISTRY YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY The role of multiple ministries in the provision of youth mental health services in Alberta was commonly highlighted, and the need for a co-ordinating strategy emphasized. [...] The goal I think across the system and in the sector is that any door needs to be the right door and that people need to be able to get the help that they need at the right time. [...] Jennifer Zwicker is the Director of Health Policy at the School of Public Policy, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Canada Research Chair (II) in Disability Policy for Children and Youth and the Deputy Scientific Officer for Kids Brain Health Network.