The Addiction Program adolescent service accepts youths and their families between 13 and 17 years of age who:
Require assessment and treatment for concurrent medical/psychiatric disorders with addiction management.
Have proven refractory to traditional mental health /addiction service treatment in the past.
Cannot be managed adequately by community resources e.g., pediatrician, family physician, child welfare, addiction treatment systems.
Are diagnostically puzzling.
Are being seen by community agencies and professionals and require additional consultation to optimize patient treatments and increase chances of success.
All patients referred and assessed by our services are not necessarily admitted to a treatment program within the Addiction Centre but may be referred to AADAC, Woods Homes or other appropriate resources.
Patients require a physician referral and it is requested that the physician remain involved during the duration of our treatment.
Parental/legal guardian involvement is required.
Admission for assessment or treatment is voluntary with legal consent of guardian.
DSM-IV criteria are used for diagnosis.
Referral Route:
Inpatient Referrals
Consultation request should follow Foothills Medical Centre procedure.
Referrals from PCU-26 will be seen on consultation by Dr. S. Chang.
Other Foothills Medical Centre inpatient referrals must be referred through the consultation liaison team.
Outpatient Referrals
A letter from a physician or community agency identifying current problems and brief past history including the patient's demographic data and AHC number.
An intake worker will contact the patient, gather all pertinent information and confirm appointment for assessment. A complete written assessment and recommendations will be sent to referral source.