New partnership to better mental health care in Windsor

The University of Windsor and GreenShield have partnered up in an effort to improve mental healthcare.

A new partnership between GreenShield Canada, Hotel Dieu-Grace Healthcare, and the University of Windsor to expand access to mental health care and primary care services in the region.

The non-profit health and benefits organization has announced $2.5 million to help underserved populations.

The funding will be used to co-develop digital mental health training modules to help employers implement the CSA Standard for Psychological Safety in the Workplace; launch a new model to expand access to primary care; and support research opportunities for faculty and students.

Dr. Andrew Bond, Senior Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer of GreenShield Canada, said we’re facing some of the most challenging mental health conditions in the country.

“We know there’s a report that shows 2.5 million Canadians go without access to the care they need and that means we have to be able to tackle some of these problems together,” he said.

“We will have a steering committee that has members from our organization working closely in partnership with University of Windsor to be able to oversee the project and then we will have staff from GreenShield working on projects together with university staff and students to be able to ensure we are actually truly working in partnership.”

As a result of the partnership, the University’s Windsor Hall on Ferry Street, which houses the School of Social Work, will be re-named GreenShield Hall.

With Hotel Dieu-Grace Healthcare, GreenShield will be supporting the extension of the hospital’s mental health and addictions initiatives by providing digital tools, including online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT), peer support, and counselling, to extend care beyond current capacity and reach underserved populations.

- Written by Kathie McMann and Rob Hindi/AM800 News.