Mental health partnership to spark ‘transfortmative change’ in mental health care in Ontario

The world-renowned Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Lakeridge Health hospital group are teaming up on mental health care in Durham Region by combining expertise to provide accessible, high-quality care close to home for those with mental health challenges.

Lakeridge Health CEO Cynthia Davis called the first-of-its-kind partnership a “significant milestone” for mental health care in Durham Region. “Our individual and collective health truly depends on a collaborative, patient-focused approach where silos are removed and organizations work together toward shared goals. This is at the core of Lakeridge Health’s mental health strategy,” she said at Friday morning’s launch announcement in Oshawa. “Today’s announcement not only reinforces our commitment to strengthening urgent and emergency mental health care right here at home, but it is also an open invitation for other organizations to join us in partnership for even greater impact.”

Delivering mental health care through a “replicable model” of academic and clinical excellence will spark “transformative change” in Durham, she added, “improving the lives of those living with mental health challenges and empowering them to embark on a path toward best health, resilience, and success.”

CAMH CEO Sarah Downey said advancing mental health care means building capacity across the system.

“Partnerships like this are a key driver of our Connected CAMH strategic plan. We are bringing our clinical, research, and education expertise together with Lakeridge Health’s breadth of clinical expertise and deep community roots, to improve access to integrated care in Durham and beyond.”

Lakeridge Health sees more than 100,000 mental health visits a year for adults, more than 12,000 visits for children and youth and more than 14,000 annual visits to its emergency departments related to mental health and substance abuse.

Lakeridge Health Oshawa

Data from the Region of Durham show approximately 42 people per 100,000 residents experienced homelessness in 2022, with projections seeing that number grow to 62 per 100,000 by 2025. Additionally, in any given year, Canadian statistics show that one in five people will experience or be impacted by mental illness and addiction issues.

“This innovative partnership between Lakeridge Health and CAMH exemplifies our commitment to recovery-based mental health and addictions programs,” said Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. “Working together, we will transform mental health care, providing integrated care solutions that fully support individuals on their path to long-term recovery.”

“The coming together of lived experience, clinical expertise and academic excellence is the recipe we need right now for integrated, compassionate and personalized mental health care in Durham Region and beyond.”

Lakeridge Health has five hospitals, a long-term care home and several regional speciality facilities, as well as more than 20 community health care centres and the Jerry Coughlan Health & Wellness Centre, offering some of the broadest and most comprehensive acute care, ambulatory care, and long-term care services in Ontario.

Dr. Kevin Chopra, Lakeridge Health’s Chief of Psychiatry and Medical Director of Mental Health, Lakeridge Health, said the partnership is “truly going to be life-changing” for patients, clients and family members affected by mental illness and addictions.

CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world-leading research centre in the field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction.