FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 9, 2005

Ministry announces capital funding for new health centre

WINDSOR – The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has announced a significant funding allocation for a satellite Community Health Centre (CHC) in downtown Windsor.
The Teen Health Centre (THC) satellite CHC, to be run by the local Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor Essex County Branch (CMHA), has received $900,000 in Ministry funding for capital expenditures.
“This funding really speaks volumes about the commitment to mental health and primary care demonstrated by the Ministry,” said THC executive director, Sheila Gordon. “As a CHC, we are excited and proud to be partnering with CMHA on this new opportunity for Windsor.”
The new CMHA location will provide access to primary care for the general public living in the downtown catchment areas defined as Riverside Drive south to Tecumseh Road and Crawford Avenue east to Central Avenue with a specialized focus on mental health issues. It will also serve clients with a serious mental illness anywhere in Windsor/Essex County who do not have a family physician.
The project is something CMHA Chief Executive Officer Pam Hines believes is needed in the community.
“This funding will really allow us the capacity to provide primary care in the downtown core and to continue to serve people with serious mental illness,” described Hines.
One of the new satellite’s objectives is to provide service in a wholistic environment – a fundamental staple in the CHC model philosophy. This environment will include integrated health care services including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, dieticians, a health promoter and chiropody services.
The new centre will also provide education to clients, family members and providers to understand the importance of improving health status as part of the overall physical and mental health treatment plan.
Hines noted the extended services will mean increased access and a reduction in waiting times for primary care services for the general population in the downtown core and for people with serious mental illness in Windsor/Essex County.
The $900,000 capital funding will allow for renovations at the CMHA’s Windsor Avenue site, which will be the home of the new downtown CHC. The renovations are expected to take six months.
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For more information, please contact Patti Lauzon, CFRE, Manager of Public Relations and Development, 253-8481 ext. 255.