With a permanent urgent care centre for mental health still years away, Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital is assessing options to deliver short-term solutions.
President & CEO Bill Marra indicated they are aware of concerns raised during the Windsor Police Service Board meeting last week regarding the mental health and addictions crisis, and how it is putting stress on first responders.
He said the hospital developed a proposal for a temporary mental health urgent care centre and submitted it to Ontario Health in January, but it was not approved.
"It seems to be an exasperated situation, so we want to bring it forward again. But it needs funding. We're talking about $2.8 million a year to operate an urgent care centre here," said Marra.
Marra said the temporary urgent care centre would be a place for first responders to bring people experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis. It would not be accessible to the public until the permanent area could be established.
"We can turn something like that around in about 60 days because we've already costed out the plan. We've costed out what it would take to operate it. We have partners on board who are willing to be part of the plan as well, and we have the infrastructure and the framework for the service delivery model," said Marra.
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare currently operates the Crisis and Mental Health Wellness Centre on Ouellette Avenue. The centre is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for walk-in crisis services.
"Is it enough? No, it's not enough, we know we have to do more but that has to come with resources," said Marra
The centre saw over 3,100 people in 2022.