Region of Waterloo looking to redirect mental health and addiction calls to an alternative clinic
Region of Waterloo looking to redirect mental health and addiction calls to an alternative clinic
The Region of Waterloo and paramedic services are looking to change the way mental health and addiction calls are treated.
Currently, the only approved destination paramedics can take patients after a 911 call is to a hospital with an emergency room. However, the region is now considering diverting patients dealing with a mental health crisis to an alternative clinic.
“The hope in this idea is that we can work together collaboratively to provide some relief for our hospital sector partners,” said Chief John Riches, with Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services. “But most importantly, the message really is about trying to make sure that patients who are suffering from mental health and addictions type concerns are getting the right care, at the right location, from the right provider at the right time.”
The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo-Wellington (CMHAWW) said sending mental health or addictions patients to the hospital is not always appropriate, as it could lead to some falling through the cracks.
“People do attend the hospital for mental health crisis and unfortunately have been known to leave without being seen, and when that happens, it results in poor outcomes,” said Jeff Stanlick, the Director of Services with CMHAWW.
“We know that in London, they’ve used this model and we have evidence that it is effective,” said Stanlick. “People who have used this service say they’ve experienced relief that they didn’t have to go to the emergency department or to the hospital. We also heard from people that they feel calmer when they have the experience of visiting a clinic rather than the hospital.”
Riches said in 2022, more than 10 per cent of calls to paramedics in Waterloo region, were mental health calls.
He said creating an alternative clinic for mental health and addictions patients can also help reduce stress on and already strained health care system.
Paramedics in Waterloo region have been dealing with increasing call volumes, prompting the service to declare “Code Reds,” where there aren’t enough ambulances to respond to emergency calls.
“There’s a lot of reasons that go into why Code Red situations occur, one of them being offload delays,” said Riches. “[That’s] a primary driver.”
If the alternative clinic is approved by the province of Ontario, the clinic would be made up of community partners, including support workers, people with lived experiences, and medical professionals.
The proposal is still in its early stages, and funding still needs to be secured from the province.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived Thursday evening in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
As the federal government looks to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., an eastern Ontario mayor says his city needs more help from Ottawa to deal with the influx of asylum seekers arriving through irregular crossings like Roxham Road.
Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
A majority of Canadians have seen a mistake on their grocery receipts in the last year, according to a new survey conducted by Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits are at record lows and down 44 per cent from last year, new figures from Statistics Canada show.
Two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save their ancestors' first language by developing video games young and old can play.
The new provincial budget features items specific to southwestern Ontario, including a new English public elementary school in London, Ont. that will serve 556 students and include 88 licensed childcare spaces.
A young Strathroy, Ont. man believes there's a promising way forward in the effort to fight his disease. But, he's being told, right now, that path isn't open to him. Friends and family are stepping up to try and make a case for Kyle McPhee to receive immunotherapy treatments.
After a year-and-a-half without, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says it’s narrowing in on hiring a permanent chief medical officer of health.
When the permit to construct a replacement span for the Ambassador Bridge expired in the summer of 2022, many thought that would bring an end to a 20-year saga of boarded up homes in the city’s west end.
The quick thinking and immediate actions of two people are credited with possibly saving the life of a Midland councillor after he collapsed at a meeting Wednesday evening.
Investigators with York Regional Police issued Canada-wide warrants for two men who they say are involved in the Richmond Hill attack on Ontario woman Elnaz Hajtamiri weeks before she was allegedly abducted.
The co-owners of a new liquidation store in North Bay, Samuel Quesnel and Chloé Boivenue, say they want to bring a treasure hunt shopping experience to the city.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived Thursday evening in Ottawa for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.
Emergency crews responded to a call for a stabbing on Hartsmere Drive, off Stittsville Main Street, at approximately 7:45 p.m. Thursday. Two police cruisers guarded the parking lot of the Trustee M. Curry Park late Thursday evening.
The Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est has announced plans for a four-day school week pilot-project this fall, becoming the first school board in Ontario to offer families a shortened school week schedule.
An Ontario man said he was shocked when his truck was stolen not once but twice, and the second time it was taken he was surprised to discover he was no longer covered for theft.
For the first time, the owner of a building in Old Montreal has responded to questions about the fire — through his lawyer — addressing allegations that the building was unsafe.
The political class at the National Assembly has condemned the 'violent' and 'hateful' remarks that columnist Gilles Proulx allegedly made about Quebec solidaire MNAs during Richard Martineau's show on Qub radio in recent weeks.
The Tim Houston PC government remains firm in their promise they'll fix the health-care system by spending more taxpayer money on health than any previous government before.
Potato farmers on Prince Edward Island are taking the federal government to court due to the decision to restrict the movement of P.E.I. seed potatoes.
Manitoba First Nation police have arrested a man connected with a shooting on March 19 on Long Plain First Nation that resulted in the community going on lockdown.
Manitoba’s labour force is growing at a rate to supply enough workers for available positions into 2026, according to the province’s labour market outlook.
The Alberta Energy Regulator has cited an energy company for causing a series of earthquakes, including the largest recorded tremblor in the province's history.
The Alberta Energy Regulator has cited an energy company for causing a series of earthquakes, including the largest recorded tremblor in the province's history.
Following a court appearance Thursday, a B.C. woman facing more than 20 charges – including manslaughter – in connection with alleged druggings of men who used escort services was remanded into custody.
The man killed in West Vancouver earlier this week was a retired urologist who was involved in several legal disputes over valuable real estate, CTV News has learned.
