CUPS Client Success Story: Meet Drew
Drew knew his goal. He just needed the right support to get there.
In honour of Men’s Health Week, which takes place from June 15 to 21, 2020, we’re sharing a special CUPS client story from our Connect 2 Care (C2C) team.
Meet Drew*
Having spent the two years since his arrival in Calgary on the streets, Drew had it rough. Suffering from anger issues, mental health illness and using meth and opioids to self-medicate, he knew he needed a way out. A visit to acute care at the hospital connected him to CUPS and the C2C team. It was the beginning of Drew’s transformation.
What is Connect 2 Care?
For vulnerable individuals like Drew, unstable housing is often combined with complex health problems that lead to high acute care utilization, poor health outcomes and high associated costs.
In order to better care for these vulnerable populations, CUPS, the Alpha House and the O’Brien Institute at the University of Calgary partnered to implement the Connect 2 Care (C2C) program. Designed to bridge the gap between hospital and community, the C2C team consists of nurses and health navigators who coordinate care and support for patients who frequently seek help at emergency or hospitals.
Their aim is to engage and connect with these patients and figure out why they go to hospital in the first place. With a deeper understanding of their challenges, they can be connected to the resources they need. And with the right support in place, their acute care use will decrease and their quality of life will improve.
Connecting Drew with C2C
In early 2020, Drew was admitted to acute care — for the sixth time. After a rough couple of years on the streets, he suffered from numerous challenges, including:
Homelessness
Mental illness, including depression and anxiety
Meth and opioid use to self-medicate
Anger and behaviour issues related to past trauma
Isolation from supports, including being banned from shelters, pharmacies and some social services
Client-driven Care
Drew wanted to improve his life and needed support to navigate through his crisis. His goals were to get sober, to find stable housing and get income support to get back on his feet.
As a first step, the C2C team connected Drew with the Injectable Opiod Agonist Therapy (IOAT) program at the Sheldon Chumir to help safely wean him off meth and opioids. From there, they created a 6-month intensive case management plan to help him meet his goals and graduate from the program.
Collaboration is Key
“Just giving a client a prescription and discharging them out the door isn't beneficial,” explains Eric Lopatinsky with the C2C Program. “By coordinating and collaborating with the right community resources Drew needed, he not only improved his quality of life, but very likely saved it, too. His treatment also cut down on his inappropriate use of hospitals and services and saved a lot of money.”
The community wrapped around Drew. In just over two months, he was weaning off drugs, housed and his anger was under control. He graduated from the C2C program. His life improved dramatically. Drew was so grateful for the support from the community that he baked a thank-you cheesecake for the IOAT staff that helped him kick his habit!
Now, he is able to secure a stronger foundation for his life and build resilience (and work on his newfound baking skills, too!).
*Name changed for anonymity.
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