As COVID-19 continues taking a toll on residents' mental wellness, additional options for help are now available in Windsor-Essex.
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) announced Friday that it will begin a Partial Hospitalization Plan (PHP) to its mental health and addiction services. The hospital is reinvesting funding at its west Windsor campus to create the program, which will be geared toward those suffering from persistent and acute mental health issues.
Also, HDGH announced it will make mental health support permanent at its Mental Health and Addiction Urgent Care Centre on Ouellette Avenue in downtown Windsor.
The funding comes after the Ontario government included HDGH in its $60-billion infrastructure plan, laid out in the provincial budget last month.
While HDGH had to previously divert some mental health funding toward the frontline battle against COVID-19, hospital president and CEO Janice Kaffer said this will address the gaps that have arisen in mental health resources.
"What was realized is that we had an opportunity and obligation to provide hundreds of more individuals with the mental health and addictions support they need in continuing to create a high-quality, accessible, local mental health and addictions system people can count on," said Kaffer.
Under a PHP, patients 16 years of age and older who are experiencing acute psychotic or severe anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and other mental health issues, participate in a concentrated, short-term outpatient program. Patients will receive personalized, recovery-focused, goal-oriented treatment from a highly-trained staff.
A team consisting of an addiction counsellor, an RPN, on-call psychiatrists, and mental health social workers will now be based permanently at the HDGH Crisis and Mental Wellness Centre at 744 Ouellette. These services will run 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis after-hours or on weekends, contact the 24-hour Community Crisis Centre hotline at (519) 973-4435. If you believe you may be a danger to yourself or others, visit your nearest emergency department or call 911.