EPION’s Standards Implementation Committee is happy to announce the Fidelity Pilot Report is now available. “Implementing a volunteer peer fidelity assessment in Ontario Early Psychosis Intervention programs: what did we learn?” describes the Fidelity Pilot project conducted by the Standards Implementation Steering Committee (SISC). (more…)

In moving along our journey through the fidelity assessment process, we are now going to take a look at how the results of the first round of fidelity assessments have been put into practice. What did programs actually end up doing?

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We can see the impact of the fidelity assessment on multiple levels within the EPI community. The direct impact is on the programs being assessed, but as we take a closer look, the ripple effects reach the assessors themselves, the sector as a whole, and the people we provide services to. Let’s take a closer look at how this process impacts all these different stakeholders.  (more…)

The Standards Implementation Steering Committee (“The SISC”) is excited to spotlight the hard work of all the people who have been and are currently involved in EPION’s Fidelity project. Over the next four weeks we are going to be taking you along for the ride while we answer the who-what-where-why-how, wrap up the initial pilot, submit our final report, and prepare for the next phase. (more…)

MEDIA RELEASE: Friday August 3, 2018

EPION launches MyCannabisIQ public education campaign about risks of Cannabis use

On the eve of Cannabis legalization in Canada, the Early Psychosis Intervention Ontario Network (EPION) is launching a new MyCannabisIQ campaign to educate clinical staff, families, and young people about the risks involved with cannabis use. (more…)

IEPA is holding their elections for Vice Presidents of Europe and North America. In the running for VP of North America is EPION’s very own Dr. Chi Cheng! This is a wonderful opportunity to bring EPION’s expertise to the international table. We encourage any IEPA members to cast your vote for IEPA’s leadership. Voting ends July 6 (tomorrow!) at midnight! (more…)

On June 15, some 24 EPION members gathered from across the province.  We met at CAMH in Toronto in a ‘Transitions of Care’ Consultation specifically to address the issue of what comes after Early Intervention and how to support our clients in the transition from EPI programs. The group included a number of clinicians from several disciplines, an individual with lived experience and a family member, who also works as an EPI program Family Educator. (more…)

Most early psychosis intervention (EPI) programs are time limited with the goal to increase client independence and functioning so that they can eventually reintegrate into the community. However, while it is accepted that early intervention services lead to better outcomes; questions remain regarding the optimal duration of EPI programs. Recent studies have suggested that the benefits may plateau after 2 years, but this timeline may not apply for all clients. (more…)

The Slaight Centre Early Intervention Service (SCEIS) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recognized that current recovery outcomes are not good enough and we are called to do better.  As a result, giving patients experiencing early psychosis the best care possible and getting them into care quickly are two important goals of the SCEIS.  To meet these goals, SCEIS launched a new kind of evidence-based care model called NAVIGATE in November 2017.  (more…)

The EPION Metabolic working group is in the early stages of adapting their paper-based Cardiometabolic Risk Management tool to an interactive, user-friendly app. The Cardiometabolic Risk Management tool provides a structured way to screen and begin metabolic interventions for individuals with mental illness, according to Canadian guidelines. This electronic adaptation was inspired by feedback from the May 2014 EPION Think Tank on Metabolic Disturbances. (more…)