Victoria Forensic Regional Clinic going the extra mile for clients

01/05/2020

The Forensic Regional Community Clinics help ensure that people who have come into contact with the law and live with significant mental health and substance use issues get the care, support and treatment they need.

Many of the clients are vulnerable to being hit hard by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and staff at the Victoria Forensic Regional Clinic have been doing all they can to help.

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Staff at the Victoria Forensic Regional Clinic have been going above and beyond to help those impacted by COVID-19.

Lauren, an outreach worker contracted to the regional clinic in Victoria, really stepped up at the very start of this pandemic.

"She got clients food if they couldn't get to a food bank and she also made bread in her own kitchen and delivered hampers of food to clients to make sure they got proper meals," says Cher, Case Manager at Victoria Regional Clinic.

"She is doing great things for our clients and it's noticed by me, and my clients too."

Cher also did her bit to make sure that clients are feeling safe and secure by enlisting her family to help make some home-made masks to hand out to clients.

"I wanted my clients to feel remembered, and I wanted them to feel more comfortable in public when needing to access public transit or go to the grocery store."

Many clients are feeling afraid and anxious to leave their homes due to the pandemic, but the team are making use of virtual health tools to make sure they keep connected.

"As horrible as the pandemic is, there is more of a connection between the clients and the clinic. The clients that are able to connect with their case managers using technology have done so with open arms. They've even told us it's easier for them to call or Zoom with their case managers than come out into the community to attend the clinic," says Cher.

"And they check in more regularly. If I am running five minutes behind they call me! When they attended in person, they might be ten twenty or even thirty minutes late or not show up at all."

However, Cher still believes that face to face connection is important.

"I have tried to find ways to connect with my clients in person as that face-to-face can really change the way they perceive what we say. I visit some clients to have some face-to-masked and goggled-face to provide care and make sure they are coping well. It has led to a lot of teaching moments about COVID-19, social distancing and hand hygiene."