Elements of the Child & Youth Mental Health and Addictions Health Hub will start rolling out this spring. The initiative, spearheaded by the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH), has been in development for the past two years.
The hub is a collection of partners, including school boards, service providers and healthcare workers. Over 20 partners are currently involved.
Hospital CEO Frank Vassallo says the hub is based on a patient and family centered vision. He says a key milestone was presenting the draft delivering model to the KDH Board at the end of March. Vassallo says letting people know about services as soon as possible is critical.
Project Manager Joanne Desormeaux says the hub is about bringing partners together to coordinate and integrate services locally. She says it’s not always easy to find local services, so Connect Youth has taken on the Systems Navigator role.
Desormeaux says the organization will help youth who don’t know where to go and also assist with other basic needs, like housing, transportation and food. Â
Children’s Mental Health of Leeds and Grenville, another hub partner, will be offering an after hours walk-in clinic to increase access to services.
The next step for the hub is to roll out a work plan over the next year.
Desormeaux says the goal is to have youth take ownership of the hub, so a naming and logo contest will launch in the coming weeks.