St. Closes mental health clinic in east end St. Joseph, moves services to Mountain hospital

St. The Stoney Creek clinic, which provides mental health services, is closing and merging with a psychiatric clinic in Mountain, according to an official with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

Interim vice president for mental health and addictions Dr. The decision to merge Eastern Region Mental Health Services (ERMHS) with the Community Psychiatric Clinic follows “significant” patient declines at ERMHS, Randi McCabe said in a statement.

He said there has been a 20 percent decrease in the number of patients from 2022-2023 to date.

ERMHS says it offers individual and group services to people over the age of 16 who are experiencing serious mental illness and are referred to the facility. It currently works with about 350 patients, and McCabe said 56 percent of them access the service virtually.

ERMHS is currently in St. Located inside Joseph’s King Campus2757 King St. It also includes an outpatient treatment facility and a Community Psychiatric Clinic located at E. West 5th Campus.

Letters about consolidation efforts have already been sent to patients, McCabe said, adding that the program will not receive new guidance starting next month.

He said ERMHS is expected to be fully transitioned by the end of March, depending on the availability of clinicians and “the completion of patient care plans.”

“The decision to combine services was made following a review of existing services and a recognition of the need to respond to changing needs in the community, where mental health and addiction problems are alarmingly increasing.”

McCabe, St. He said St. Joseph’s is “working on a case-by-case basis” with ERMHS’s 13 staff at the King Street East location to help them find other opportunities or look at plans for early retirement. According to him, no layoffs are currently planned.

GP supports mental health services ‘close to home’

Hamilton Family Health Team’s lead physician, Dr. Brian McKenna said the consolidation won’t result in a loss of service overall, but it “does mean a loss of service for the east end and Stoney Creek communities.”

“Strong, integrated mental health services are needed across the healthcare system to help meet demand,” he told CBC Hamilton.

He also said continuity of care is “a big determinant of how effective virtual care will be compared to in-person care.”

“I also think it is beneficial to offer these services as close to home as possible.”

McKenna said most people in Ontario cannot access mental health services through their family physician’s offices, so they rely on services like those offered at ERMHS.

“My guess is that someone who lives in East Hamilton or Stoney Creek and has transportation challenges due to close geographical proximity to ERMHS…theoretically they are the group I would be most concerned about.”

McCabe said those who want to use in-person services can still do so at the West 5th Campus and receive assistance with transportation, such as the use of taxi tickets.

Hamilton therapist says offering care options is important

McCabe added that the increasing number of virtual uses of ERMHS services was another factor in the consolidation decision, with fewer disruptions to online care.

Hamilton psychotherapist Carly Crawford said it’s important to offer both in-person and online care options.

“In a perfect world, we could give people options so they can choose,” he said in an interview.

Crawford said one advantage of virtual care is that therapists can help more people who don’t have to live nearby or deal with travel and other issues.

On the other hand, some patients may benefit more from seeing a therapist face-to-face in a comfortable setting, Crawford said.

“The whole experience of going to therapy, driving or going to the therapy office, sitting in the space, getting things done when you leave, and being able to take that time is really important,” she said.