“The truth is this is going to have an impact on how we provide care,” says Kelly Reid, the health authority’s director of community operations for mental health and substance use. Delays. Disruptions. Awkward logistical gymnastics as the needs of sometimes-volatile clients collide with the requirement to keep team members safe. Too bad it has come to this. “It’s disappointing because from our perspective it was working very well,” Reid says. Yes, it was. That’s the maddening part. Let’s back up a bit. Island Health oversees four multi-disciplinary Assertive Community Treatment teams — psychiatric nurses, addiction-recovery workers, registered nurses, social workers, and so on — who take an integrated approach to treating a total of 340 people whose severe mental illness is often compounded by substance abuse. The teams provide medical care, psychiatric help, access to housing and help managing medication and money.