The Newly Institute (The Newly) is putting the finishing touches on a mental health clinic opening in northwest Edmonton in Spring 2022.

The company has been pioneering an innovative approach to mental health treatment by fusing a bio-psycho-social-spiritual treatment model into medically managed intensive outpatient programs. These treatment programs help people to overcome deeply embedded traumas that are preventing them from fully living their everyday lives.

The Newly operates with an interdisciplinary team working together on patient care. The team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, pain doctors, addiction doctors, occupational therapists, social workers, physiotherapists and kinesiologists.

The program takes a personalized approach to health and is directed at first responders, veterans, health care workers and any other Canadians who are suffering with mental illness, chronic pain or addiction.

PUBLIC MEDICAL SYSTEM NOT MEETING NEEDS

It’s generally accepted that Canada’s public medical system has struggled to keep up with the demand to support those suffering says Dr. Robert Tanguay, the Chief Medical Officer for The Newly.

He says it’s time for a new approach which is what The Newly brings as the country’s first medically assisted intensive outpatient program for mental health treatment.
“My colleagues and I think it’s time we do something different and we do it better,” says Dr. Tanguay, a psychiatrist who has completed fellowships in Addiction Medicine and Pain Medicine.

“I’ve always said that we need a system that puts patients at the centre and then experts from multiple disciplines developing the programs to best achieve wellness for the patient. Our health care system is simply not equipped to treat many of the most significant mental health and trauma patients.”

That’s exactly what’s behind the creation of The Newly Institute, which provides patients with the rapid access to treatment they need so they can experience a rapid recovery and return to work and to healthy living.

A NEW APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENTS

Arthur H. Kwan, The Newly’s President and CEO, saw the need to find new ways to treat mental health and the opportunity to pull together world-class experts to tackle the challenge.
“The drive behind The Newly and combining these great minds in the mental health field was to do things differently and to push change in how Canadians receive treatment for their mental health,” says Mr. Kwan.

“Our vision is broad as we see a future where we have clinics in cities across the country that provide expert, research backed and innovative evidence-based treat- ments to those in need.”

For The Newly, this also extends into leading research efforts into the medical merits of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Dr. Tanguay explains, “Psychedelics can basically be catalysts to certain therapies, an adjunct to other treatment and not just a protocol in and of itself. These drugs used in very specific doses can lower personal barriers to enhance trauma therapy and speed up recovery. By employing psychedelics, we can reach certain people who couldn’t be treated before.”

INNOVATIVE PRACTICES ARE RECEIVING MAJOR CLIENT SUPPORT

The company has seen promising results from its innovative practices at The Newly’s first clinic in Calgary.

Patients are showing dramatic improvements that are being achieved in far shorter time frames than with more conventional therapies, says Dr. Marshall Ross, the company’s Chief Scientific Officer and an emergency medicine physician.

“Many of our patients have found it’s ending depression and suicidal ideation within hours,” he says. “To see stabilization within days is remarkable. Our treatment protocols have been working incredibly well, just as the research suggested they would.”

Dr. Ross notes that The Newly’s programs are intensive by design. They typically include a four-week program with patients attending therapy up to eight hours a day. It’s designed to get them back to their lives fully functioning.

“The community focus of therapy and the public system often focuses on seeing someone once a week and hoping that over time they will get better. But our data shows if you crunch that into a more intensive program they will get better faster, and data shows the faster they’re better, the more likely they are to return to work and to healthy living,” he says.

SPECIFIC FOCUS ON MILITARY, FIRST RESPONDERS AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS

One of The Newly’s main patient focus areas is on military veterans, first responders and front line health care workers whose trauma levels have reached disturbing heights, says Dr. Ross.

In Edmonton, this can apply to nurses, police officers, firefighters, EMS workers and all those who have struggled to find the help they need. Individuals working for these units are under constant stress and often suffer from traumatic psychological injuries based on their work experiences.
“Our approach to therapy goes deeper than conventional treatments and enables us to tap into the personal psyche. These are individuals who have seen people experience trauma and in some cases that has bled over into their personal lives,” Dr. Ross says.

“We work with these individuals so they don’t suffer in silence. We help them identify the triggers. We provide them with an integrated program of treatment.”

EDMONTON CLINIC HIRING STAFF FOR SPRING OPENING

The Newly’s Edmonton clinic will be located at 13611 – 163rd Street. The company is hiring staff for the location and those interested can apply at careers@thenewly.ca or by calling (825) 540-4042. We are currently seeking Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Nurse Practitioners, Administrators and family doctors for the Edmonton office.
Additional clinics are being developed at this time in Fredericton, New Brunswick and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Any individuals seeking treatment for a mental health condition can book a free consultation with The Newly at www.newly.ca. Referrals are not required.