Dr. Allie Slemon of the University of Victoria awarded a Reach Program grant

When a young person experiencing psychosis or a serious mental illness is placed in seclusion during treatment, it can be traumatizing. There is a growing call to reduce the use of seclusion among young people in inpatient mental health settings.

In partnership with Michael Smith Health Research BC, the BC Schizophrenia Society Foundation (BCSSF) is supporting a research project focused on improving the treatment of young people in these situations. This initiative will be led by Dr. Allie Slemon, an Assistant Professor in Nursing at the University of Victoria.

Dr. Slemon is organizing a collaborative development session next spring to improve the seclusion protocols for patients entering the new Young Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit within Island Health. This unit is one of two such facilities in Canada, the other being in Calgary. The conference will involve patients, healthcare providers, family partners, and policy advocates. The project’s outcomes will be shared across the province. 

Dr. Slemon is an Assistant Professor in Nursing at the University of Victoria. She began her career working with mental health and eating disorder patients. Her research focuses on remediating inequities in health care.

Dr. Slemon was awarded a grant of $19,994 as part of the Reach Program competition held earlier this year by Michael Smith Health Research BC. As part of this partnership, the BC Schizophrenia Foundation provides half of the funding for schizophrenia-related research projects like these, in effect doubling the impact of our donor-designated contributions. Michael Smith Health Research BC provides key administrative support, including the management of the competitive process, with peer-review mechanisms to ensure that applicants adhere to high scientific standards to qualify for funding. The two organizations consult each other during the award competition process.

In an effort to improve health care in BC, the Reach Program category is reserved for projects that support the dissemination of research evidence—through co-developing events, activities, and/or tools—to those who can directly benefit from it, in order to improve health and healthcare in BC.