Trafalgar always believed that a strong telehealth strategy would contribute to their organization’s overall growth; however, Shane and his team thought it would take time for it to be widely accepted by clients. Trafalgar’s successful pivot to virtual addictions programming through OnCall has created new opportunities for accessibility to intensive mental health and addictions support throughout Canada. By offering care that fits into client lifestyles, including self-led programming, Trafalgar has been able to acquire clients they were unable to target previously. This includes clients in remote areas, clients who are unable to take time off work, or clients who need support but feel more comfortable receiving it from home. Although the pandemic forced Trafalgar to quickly implement a virtual care strategy, the change ultimately made virtual group therapy acceptable and even more engaging than they imagined. Confidentiality and privacy assurances were completed during OnCall’s implementation and Trafalgar’s clinician team was trained immediately, giving them the confidence needed to initially launch telehealth successfully and encourage clients to partake in virtual care. The results were, and still are, overwhelmingly positive. Not only are the therapeutic benefits clear, but Trafalgar has increased client enrollment by more than 115% in the last half of 2021, with more than 12 programs available to clients. They’ve also billed 250% more than they did pre-telehealth.
Finally, says Shane, “whether you are in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Collingwood, Toronto, or the Maritimes, you can access a Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centre Virtual Addiction Rehab Program. Accessibility means greater health equity and better health outcomes across society as a whole. The need for better mental healthcare has never been more apparent, and virtual care through OnCall allows us to do this and so much more.”