Community Mental Health Clinic (CMHC) will receive a grant from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to proceed with a capital project for agency quarters in Guelph.

Guelph-Wellington MPP Liz Sandals and George Smitherman, provincial Minister of Health Long Term Care, met with agency officials and invited stakeholders to announce that up to $4.3 million will be available from the health ministry to proceed with the agency's capital building project.

The announcement will make it possible for the agency to work toward consolidating some of its Guelph operations, currently located at four sites in the city.

Mr. Smitherman delivered his announcement at the former Salvation Army Citadel on Waterloo Avenue in Guelph, the proposed new site of the Community Mental Health Clinic.

"We're on the side of Guelph-area residents who need the support that these expanded services will provide," Mr. Smitherman said. "Today's announcement is another example of this government's commitment to delivering improved, community based, mental health services."

"This announcement is exciting at this stage in the growth and development of Community Mental Health Clinic," said CMHC Board President Linda Sherbo. "The agency's programs have increased substantially as the Province has directed enhancements to community based services. This has led to a proliferation of sites and crowding of staff into existing quarters. We can now work to improve that situation."

"The current arrangement of operating as we do in City is not efficient," said Executive Director Vernon Lediett. "With the completion of a capital project we will have premises built specifically for our programs, we will conduct our operations more efficiently, and we will have the added benefit of redirecting fiscal resources from rent expenses to direct service. The project will be a win all around when it has been completed."

"The arrival of funding rounds out the planning that has taken place to date for this project", said Marshall Draper, Chair of the CMHC Capital Committee. "We have had excellent support from Ministry and City council and their respective staff, and we have already completed a significant amount of functional planning within the agency. Now we can create the plans, seek the appropriate approvals, and get under way with construction."

Displays of the programs and services available through CMHC at today's announcement provided information about agency services for crisis intervention, mental health assessment and treatment for children, adults, and seniors, and services for children in child care settings with special needs. Also displayed was information on two innovative grass roots programs for which CMHC provides administrative sponsorship: Spark of Brilliance and the Mental Health and Wellness Network.

More than 60 invited participants attended today's announcement, including representatives from the wide range of health and social services with whom the agency works in partnership.

CMHC was established in 1967 and currently provides community-based service for citizens throughout the catchment area of Guelph-Wellington

Dufferin. The agency is sited across a network of offices in Guelph, and branch offices in Orangeville, Mount Forest and Fergus. Visiting/satellite services are provided to Arthur, Erin, Palmerston, and Shelburne. CMHC is co-located with other community services in several locations.

Total funding for the 2006-07 fiscal year approximates $16.5 million.

Almost 8,000 citizens received service in 2004- 2005 across all agency programs and services.

Approximately 150 service staff with training and experience in psychiatry, social work, psychology, nursing, recreation therapy, case management, and behaviour management are deployed across these offices.

CMHC provides a wide range of mental health

and developmental services for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. These services include crisis intervention, mental health consultation and treatment, nurse practitioner primary health care services for those clients without access to a family physician, respite services, early psychosis intervention, case management, court support for those with mental

health issues who come into contact with the criminal justice system, support for children in child care settings with special needs, infant development, Special Services at Home, and education services for long term care facilities.

CMHC operations represent one of the best examples of service integration across provincially supported community services in Ontario.

Collaboration prevails as a key value and practice within the organization, and our partners span the wide range of service sectors including hospitals, Community Care Access Centre, child welfare, developmental services, education, mental health, long term care facilities, primary health care, and the criminal justice system.