Some changes have been announced by Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, which aim to improve crisis support for youth locally through the reallocation of services.
HDGH, as Lead Agency for Child and Youth Mental Health Services in Windsor- Essex, operates the Regional Children's Centre (RCC) providing mental health services to children and youth aged 6 to 12.
The Lead Agency for Child and Youth Mental Health Services is responsible for ensuring that core mental health services are delivered within a specific geography.
RCC offers a variety of programs and services, including Crisis Services offered at Windsor Regional Hospital's Metropolitan Campus Emergency Departments.
An RCC social worker is available for children and youth presenting to the ED in crisis Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on call during weekends and holidays.
Beginning on April 1, HDGH's RCC Crisis Program will be reallocating the service to Maryvale's supervision.
Since 2021, data shows that 73% of clients being seen by social workers at the RCC are in the 13 to 15-year-old age range, which is older than their target demo of ages 6 to 12.
Executive lead Lori Kempe says Maryvale is one of their core service providers, and they usually deal with adolescents aged 13 to 18 who need these services.
"Maryvale, that's what they do. They really support those older youth, why not make it seamless and have their own staff doing the assessment and planning for the youth that are coming into the Crisis Program at Windsor Regional Hospital," she said.
Maryvale's current programming that operates Rotary Home beds at WRH as part of their 24/7, 365 days a year Acute Care Mental Health Hospital Program made them the most well-equipped service provider for this change.
Kempe says this is mostly a procedural move, and that services will still be offered at the Met Campus.
"The clinician will do the same assessment, it's just the planning afterwards. So if it is a youth that would continue on with Maryvale services, it's a Maryvale clinician making those plans. In the past, it was staff from the RCC. They're more than capable, they can do that work, but now it's not passing it off to a different agency."
She says they've been having conversations about making this change for a very long time.
"We wanted to make sure we're doing things in a careful thoughtful manner, least disruptive to families. So at the front door we do not believe that families or youth will see any difference. Because the great services that were offered through the RCC at the hospital are now just offered through Maryvale," Kempe said.
She says this reallocation of services is part of system management that will better support children and youth in crisis and the ability for youth and their families to access services.