Peak care for youth mental health at UCalgary-supported The Summit

It’s called The Summit, a most fitting name for a place where research into the mental health of young people will reach new heights.

Officially opened on March 13, the $39-million mental health facility will offer Calgary and area youth and their families improved access to publicly funded mental health services, while developing, testing, and refining new clinical interventions in a partnership between Alberta Health Services and UCalgary.

“The Summit will incorporate accessible mental health care with leading-edge research, so we can mobilize academic insights into the best possible clinical care for children and youth,” says University of Calgary President and Vice-Chancellor Ed McCauley.

“The University of Calgary is honoured to be a part of this historic milestone for child and youth mental health in southern Alberta.”

Support for 8,000 patients and their families

The Summit: Marian & Jim Sinneave Centre for Youth Resilience, as the facility is called under its full title, is located in northwest Calgary, and will support about 8,000 patients and their families every year.

The Summit offers the following services:

• The Owerko Family Walk-In Services offers no-cost therapy sessions for children, youth and families who need help with specific issues and possible solutions. These services are available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week.
• The Tallman Family Treatment Services helps young people manage acute escalating symptoms to help prevent or reduce the need for hospitalization.
• The Ptarmigan Day Hospital is the city’s first paediatric mental health day hospital, helping youth transition from around-the-clock inpatient care to eight to 10 hours of daily intensive therapy in a community setting.

Overnight stays will not be part of care provided at the new facility. Patients being admitted to hospital will continue to be cared for at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

More than $50 million raised

The Summit was built in partnership between Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF). The foundation raised more than $50 million to fund construction of the centre, as well as innovative program and research enhancements.

“Thanks to our wonderful community, young people now have a place just for them, specially designed to help them grow stronger and more resilient,” says Saifa Koonar, President and CEO of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We hope every person who walks through the Summit doors will feel all the love and support that has gone into creating it.”

Mauro Chies, interim AHS President and CEO, says the Summit’s services will augment and integrate with a continuum of existing services provided by AHS and community-based agencies. “Having all these mental health services under one roof will make it easier for children, youth, and their families to access the care they need,” Chies says.