Thanks to donations from across the community, the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation is committing $450,000 towards the completion of the hospital's withdrawal management service.
The money will help cover the remaining costs for the renovation of the former outpatient mental health services building at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance's Chatham site to house the withdrawal management service, as well as the relocated Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinic.
The CKHAF launched a community-wide fundraising campaign on April 1, 2022. According to hospital officials, the campaign has received tremendous support.
During an announcement at CKHA’s Chatham site on April 20, the United Way of Chatham-Kent committed $155,000 towards the project. Additional contributions have come in from donors from across Chatham-Kent since the campaign launched.
“We have been overwhelmed by the support that our community has shown in bringing this much- needed service to Chatham-Kent,” said CKHAF President and CEO Mary Lou Crowley. “The ongoing mental health and addiction crisis in our community has touched so many lives. As the link between the community and its local hospital sites, we are thrilled to be able to commit such a substantial sum of donor dollars to this project that will have a profound impact.”
The withdrawal management service will provide a supportive environment for individuals to receive safe withdrawal from substances and initiation of follow-up addictions treatment. The renovated facility, which will include the relocated RAAM clinic, will enable CKHA to provide the most appropriate care to people struggling with addictions. In doing so, hospital officials said it will also reduce the pressure put on the hospital’s acute mental health inpatient program.
“I feel truly privileged to be a part of a community that is so proactive in supporting local healthcare,” said Chair of CKHAF’s Board of Directors Bob Hockney. “We’ve all seen that there is a critical need for Withdrawal Management and enhanced mental health and addiction services in Chatham-Kent, and our community has stepped up and played a vital role in helping to bring these services home at a time when they are needed most.”
