Mobile health clinic with mental health, addiction and dental support an ‘exceptional model’
Essex County Warden Gary McNamara says a mobile health clinic will help health professionals to better respond to residents in crisis in high-priority neighbourhoods.
“I believe it's a model for many other regions in the province to mirror themselves to,” he said.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones has seen variations of the idea work across the province.
“This one, frankly, is probably the most in-depth in terms of the partnerships,” said Jones at the official launch of the Windsor Essex Ontario Health Team Mobile Clinic.
“During COVID, we had a team that was going out into these vulnerable communities,” explained Claudia Den Boer, the local Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) High Priority Community lead. “It became very clear we needed to continue.”
Den Boer says EMS vehicles were being used during the pandemic to support vaccination, testing and other supports in high-priority communities. Given its success, her group was able to leverage part of the $1.2 million High Priority Community funding received from the province to create the $400,000 mobile clinic.
“In this way, we could now become more self-sufficient and we would have our own vehicle to go out into these communities to do this work,” she said.
The mobile clinic runs through the Windsor Essex Ontario Health Team (OHT) and will provide various supports including mental health and addiction and dental.
“We have 45 health care partners who have the same vision and mission for servicing our community and providing access to care,” said Kristin Kennedy, CEO of Erie Shores Healthcare.
Neelu Sehgal, outreach director of Windsor Essex OHT added, “we're working with each community partner and leaders directly at the site to see where those needs are. then we're going to try and occupy that need within the truck.”
The clinic will have between five-seven staff for each trip and has already been on the road. During a recent 12-week soft launch, mobile clinic staff remarked some of the people seen were initially going to use the hospital's emergency room for acute care.
“We're seeing that connectedness. We're able to provide those warm handoffs to community partners, those referrals and we're building trust in that community so it's being very well received,” said Sehgal.
The mobile clinic will be at Brentwood for a two-day stay starting Tuesday morning and will be parked at the Bridge Youth Centre in Leamington Thursday and Friday.
Check the Windsor-Essex OHT website for future stops.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.