London’s ‘game changer’ mental health-care model inspires revisioned plan in Windsor

Just two hours up Highway 401 from Windsor, Ont., there’s a mental health and addictions crisis centre that is a “game changer” for the London community.

Now, a Windsor hospital is eyeing the same model as it plans to re-submit a proposal to the province after its original one was turned down.

Since 2015, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Thames Valley branch has operated a 24/7 crisis centre where anyone with mental health or addictions issues can walk in, 365 days a year.

And in 2020, Ontario legislation allowed paramedics to drop off those patients, giving them access to specialized services in one location.

The goal was to alleviate overburdened emergency rooms and gets first responders back on the road faster.