Our mental health program is primarily designed to deliver care to Canadian Forces members or reservists who are entitled.
That said, we do also have an agreement with the RCMP and Veterans Affairs Canada to be able to look after some veterans or RCMP members within our mental health program. We are also able to access the OSI clinics of Veterans Affairs Canada for some of our members if there is a need, and usually that would surface with a reservist because we may not have a base nearby where the reservist lives.
To be eligible for mental health care in the Canadian armed forces, you present to our clinic. Usually you present to a primary care clinic first to discuss whatever medical problem you have, and you are taken into our program.
Usually the management of a patient would start at primary care. If the primary care providers feel there a need for further specialist care, then the patient would be referred either to our mental health clinic or to the OTSSC depending on the nature....
Sometimes we undertake screening. We do screening with our periodic health assessments for mental health problems. We also do an enhanced post deployment screening about six months after people return from deployments. If we pick up somebody in that screening process, we'll call them in to have a discussion with them about what's going on with them, and determine whether or not it's time for them, or if they do have a mental illness we need to help them with.