Consensus Statement on Improving Mental Health Transitions

This consensus development conference was commissioned by the Government of Alberta to improve the transition of its system of care for people with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) toward the community. The system, previously hospital- and institution-centred, is moving towards becoming a community-centred, patient- and family-led one. The development and deployment of effective community mental health services has been progressive. Indicators of system failure for this population have been seen in the growing number of people with SPMI found in prisons and among the homeless population, in reduced life expectancy by an average of 20 years, and in the particular toll of SPMI on Aboriginal communities.